Search Results for: White-letter Hairstreak

Two brown and orange butterflies with some black and white markings

Gatekeepers. Photo: Mark Pike

A brown butterfly with orange, black and white markings on agreen leaf

White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Mark Pike

Two photos from Mark both taken on 17/07/2024 and sent in telling us:

Another average day for me at Alner’s Gorse with the best being a pair of fresh Gatekeepers until about half an hour before I left when I came across a couple of White-letter Hairstreak nectaring at waist level. Although one was a bit of a wreck this one was fine and it was nice to capture this photo of it between feeds on a bramble leaf.

A dark brown butterfly with some purple markings on a green leaf

Purple Hairstreak. Photo: Mark Pike

A brown butterfly with orange, black and white markings on a white flower

White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Mark Pike

Two photos from Mark sent in with the following comments:

All a bit of a struggle to find butterflies at Alner’s Gorse today, 11/07/2024.  The Purple Hairstreak was fairly easy but the White-letter was deep in the brambles and only a below average distant shot was had after much searching. Not a good year for them I would suggest?

Brown butterfly with white streaks and a touch of orange on the flowers of a Euonymus bush

White letter Hairstreak. Photo: Paul Harris

Paul understandably told us:

Astonished to find this nectaring on a Euonymus plant in my Weymouth garden this afternoon. Don’t often get to see them like this.

You certainly don’t! We get a lot of photos of this species at our Alners Gorse reserve, but a garden in Weymouth is most unusual.

A brown butterfly with black, white and orange markings on a green leaf

White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Mark Pike

A brown butterfly with black, white and orange markings on a green lichen covered branch

White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Mark Pike

Two more photos from Mark taken at Alners Gorse on 23/06/2023 and sent in telling us:

Those little White-letter Hairstreaks do hide away in some awkward places sometimes. The one under the low hanging Elm branch was doing its best to avoid my camera but I sussed it out!

A brown butterfly with black, white and orange markings on a green leaf

White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Sharon Towning

A brown butterfly with black, white and orange markings on a green leaf

White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Sharon Towning

Two photos from Sharon sent in telling us:

I went to Alners Gorse today, 22/06/23 and saw many White-letter Hairstreaks high in the Elm trees and a few Purple Hairstreaks flying high in the Oak trees but not able to get a decent photo of them.  I did however manage to get two half decent photos of the White-letter Hairstreaks when they came down low but I still had to go on tippy toes to get these photos.

A brown butterfly with black, white and orange markings on a green leaf

White-letter Hairstreak. Photo: Dave Law

Dave sent in this photo of a White-letter Hairstreak telling us:

After Monday nights deluge, the skies cleared this afternoon, 20/06/2023 to reveal a big emergence of White-letter Hairstreaks at Alners Gorse.  This individual was very obliging coming down to feed on the honeydew on the oak leaves. I estimate there were at least 20+ flying along the elms.