Close encounter of the best kind.. Satyrium pruni

[nomad]

Today June 29, after many hours of searching, a close encounter of the best kind with the most elusive British Butterfly and one of the rarest, the hairstreak Satyrium pruni. This species usually inhabits the tops of large sloe bushes and nearby tree tops . Here is a female resting and ovi-positing.

[Deleted]

superb photos,never seen pruni on the wing,must have been quite an experience, was it plentiful?

[wollastoni]

Wonderful pictures ! Never saw it neither !

[bobw]

Jun 30, 2013 12:16:29 GMT -8 @dunc01226 said:

superb photos,never seen pruni on the wing,must have been quite an experience, was it plentiful?

I've been to the areas where pruni flies in Oxon/Bucks quite a few times. Some years it's scarce and I've only seen a handful high up; other years it's abundant and the hedgerows are covered with them. I've never had a complete failure unless it was due to the weather.

Bob

[nomad]

I have never been lucky enough to see the hedgerows covered in S. pruni, on most visits to reach a double figure of sightings for this species would be a good count for this elusive species. I have only met a handful of lepidopterists who have encountered this species low down and to get a good image, if that is what you are seeking, well that's the rub. Last year was a disastrous year for S. pruni with very bad weather during its short flight period of a couple of weeks and sightings were down 98% and there were even fears for its survival, which happily have proved quite groundless. I spent nearly five hours last Saturday in one of the best sites in the country for S. pruni and nearly all the Black Hairstreaks that I saw were high up, this is really is an arboreal species, that can spent hours just sitting up there. They spent a lot of time visiting honeydew high on warm days on the top canopy of Ash and Oak trees and will only descend to feed on flowers, usually Privet very occasionally when the sticky stuff is not available.
I enjoy just sitting by a Black Hairstreak colony just watching this species, males will spiral high in the air and chase each other at breath neck speed along the hedgerows. When resting they will tilt their bodies to catch the rays of the sun. Below are photographs of the usual sightings of Black Hairstreaks that I get.



My usual sightings of Black Hairstreak, sitting on the top of its foodplant, the Blackthorn and resting with the curious leaning that it often adopts.