It is worth looking up at prominent Ash trees along wood edges to see if small clusters of adults may be flitting around. They congregate to mate and feed on aphid honeydew. Adults also sometimes feed lower down on flowers such as Hemp-agrimony, Common Fleabane and Bramble. The females are most frequently seen as they disperse widely along hedgerows where they lay conspicuous white eggs on young Blackthorn shoots.
The butterfly often rests with its wings closed showing orange-brown underwings with two wavy white streaks and small tails. Uppersides are brown with an orange mark.
It is locally distributed in southern Britain and mid-west Ireland and has undergone a substantial decline due to hedgerow removal and annual flailing, which removes eggs.
Size and Family
- Family: Hairstreaks
- Size: Small/Medium
- Wing Span Range (male to female): 38-40mm
Conservation status
- Section 41 species of principal importance under the NERC Act in England
- Section 7 species of principle importance under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016
- GB Red List (2022): Vulnerable
- Butterfly Conservation priority: High
- European Status: Not threatened
- Protected under Schedule 5 of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act (for sale only)
Caterpillar Foodplants
The Butterfly breeds on the young growth of Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and occasionally other Prunus species such as Bullace (P. domestica).
Lifecycle
Habitat
Hedges, scrub and woodland edge where Blackthorn is prominent and not flailed every year.
Distribution
- Countries: England, Wales, and Ireland
- Restricted in the UK to three main centres: south-west Wales, Devon/Somerset and Surrey/Sussex. Other smaller populations occur around Oxford and on Salisbury Plain.
- Abundance trend: 0.4% (1983-2019)
- Distribution trend: -0.3% (1994-2019)
Factsheets
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Hedgerows for Hairstreaks
pdf 238.32 KB -
Brown Hairstreak in Blackdown Hills Leaflet
pdf 3.97 MB -
Y Brithribin Brown_bh_Cym
pdf 481.28 KB -
Brown Hairstreak in Wales v2009
pdf 598.46 KB
Brown Hairstreak (female/upperwing) - Iain Leach
Brown Hairstreak (female/upperwing)
Iain Leach
Brown Hairstreak (female/upperwing) - Iain Leach
Brown Hairstreak (female/upperwing)
Iain Leach
Brown Hairstreak (male/upperwing) - Pete Withers
Brown Hairstreak (male/upperwing)
Pete Withers
Brown Hairstreak (underwing) - Adam Gor
Brown Hairstreak (underwing)
Adam Gor
Brown Hairstreak (female/underwing) - Bob Eade
Brown Hairstreak (female/underwing)
Bob Eade
Brown Hairstreak (underwing) - Iain Leach
Brown Hairstreak (underwing)
Iain Leach
Brown Hairstreak (female/underwing) - Bob Eade
Brown Hairstreak (female/underwing)
Bob Eade
Brown Hairstreak (egg) - Gilles San Martin
Brown Hairstreak (egg)
Gilles San Martin
Brown Hairstreak (egg) - Gillian Thompson
Brown Hairstreak (egg)
Gillian Thompson
Brown Hairstreak (caterpillar) - Ervin Szombathelyi
Brown Hairstreak (caterpillar)
Ervin Szombathelyi
Peter Eeles
Brown Hairstreak (caterpillar)
Peter Eeles
Peter Eeles
Brown Hairstreak (pupa)
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