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White-letter Hairstreak - Favourite Photo of 2024

Week 19

So close to the finale now…so close…in fact this is the penultimate week! Just a heads up that next week there will be Wood White, Vagrant and The Overall Favourite.

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

An easy choice for me as I only managed one reasonable shot of the species in 2024, while in the company of Essexbuzzard over at the usual hotspot on the edge of Hadleigh Country Park. The elms here are suffering badly, and you have to wonder how the species will fare in 2025. Dave

This was an easy one for me as it was the only photograph of a White-letter Hairstreak I managed to take during 2024 and was my first ever decent photograph of this species. Plus I watched her ovipositing close up for over 15 minutes which was up there as one of the best experiences of sharing a moment with a butterfly during 2024.

I did manage to see this species domestically last year, but any images were at full zoom in the upper reaches of the elm canopy.

I found this one low near the ground in Greece in early June though:

As Millerd has already mentioned, our usual hotspot for them is a pale shadow of it's former self due to DED. Elms are found all over the place on Benfleet downs, Hadleigh Country Park and surrounding areas so whilst this small population looks on the verge of vanishing, the wider picture is likely safe, and these small local extinctions have probably been all part of normal WLH population dynamics since the 70's. This one was taken further along Hadleigh Country Park towards the castle at another spot where they come down to feed, unfortunately on a somewhat less accessible patch of bramble so the long lens has to come out!

White-letter Hairstreak

This shot was taken on the same day as my Fave White Admiral. I’d seen one or two along with a single Purple Hairstreak earlier in the morning but they seemed less inclined to come down. So I’d set off to look for other things at other spots on the site…

Having got my White Admirals I’d retraced my steps back to the boundary fence where a few of the stalwarts would had remained seeking Whitters had been rewarded – with one female down at about chest height just sitting in the clear. Cracking!
Have a goodun

Wurzel