Strange behaviour of the Hairstreak Neozephyrus quercus

[nomad]

It is now the hottest July in the U. K. for years. Working outside I am really feeling the effect of the heat. Walking through a large forest recently looking for grounded Apatura iris, I saw a pond with very muddy margins. I thought this would be a good place to check for iris but drew a blank. Sitting here, I was surprised to see a N. quercus [ Purple Hairstreak ] land to mud puddle and later another came. Although it can be common the Purple Hairstreak spends most of its time at the top of oaks and thus rarely seen unless looked for. Mud puddling for this species in the U.K must be a very rare event that happens only in the hottest weather. A friend of many years experience in the field studying butterflies has only seen this behaviour once way back in the boiler of 1976.


N quercus visiting mud for moisture.

[mokky]

Dear Nomad,

Thank you for sharing good images. In Japan, this Lycaenid group usually stays high up on the trees. But in hot days, we can observe that both male and female enjoy mud-puddling. This behavior is not so rare as you mentioned in U.K.

mokky

[nomad]

Hi mokky

I am pleased you liked the photos. I believe of the five British Hairstreaks, only N. quercus will mud puddle and only on rare occasions in hot weather. Anybody else seen N. quercus visit puddles or damp ground?

[miguel]

Hello all:

I have seen this behavior in Fonchanina,a small village in Huesca,last July while I was looking for Apatura sp., I saw a male enjoying the damp ground.


Miguel.

[nomad]

Hi Miguel

Its nice to see N. quercus shows this behaviour in sunny Spain. I wonder who else has seen this and if anybody has in the U.K.

[davemoore]

Hi there
I have also noticed this behaviour in quercus. It was in the hot summer of 1983 in Windsor Great Park. They would come down to the damp edges of a stream early in the morning; by mid morning they had all gone back up into the trees.
Also oddly, I have male quercus at MV light, once in a UK forest and twice in different spots in France.
Dave

[nomad]

Interesting comments Dave. In this country N. quercus probably only mud puddles in the hottest years.