Butterfly Conservation Saving butterflies, moths and our environment | Upper Thames Branch |
Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wing span: 32-39 mm. The Purple Hairstreak is common, but is not often seen as it spends much of its life flying around the tops of oak trees or hidden in the foliage. The upper surfaces of the male have a purple sheen. The purple area is reduced on the female. The undersides of both sexes are similar. It is commonest in the southern half of England and Wales. Its preferred habitat is woodland where there are large numbers of oaks. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Images (click to enlarge) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Life Cycle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adults emerge in July and may be seen into September, with a peak at the end of July and early August. There is one brood each year. The ovum is the overwintering stage. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Larval Foodplants | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Larval food plants are Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea), English Oak (Quercus robur), Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris) and Holm Oak (Quercus ilex). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nectar Sources | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adults feed primarily on aphid honeydew. They don't generally visit flowers. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UK Conservation Status | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Least Concern | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Earliest UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 31st May | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mean UTB first sighting (since 2004) : 19th June | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distribution and Sites | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Species | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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