Purple Hairstreaks

Species seen:Meadow Brciwn, Gatekeeper, Essex Skipper, Large Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Common Blue, Small Copper, Small White, Large White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood (in the wood). Six-spot Burnet moth, Buff Arches moth.

Our visit to Tarcingstone continued during the afternoon with a circular walk around the western inlet of Alton Water Reservoir, where the water now covers the route of the old Al37 Ipswich to Brantham road.

This inlet is designated a Nature Reserve by Anglian Water who have created a series of permissive paths around the shore-line. These taking us through varied habitats such as belts of trees, hedgerows, thick lush areas of reeds and rushes, also more open areas of scrub with rabbit grazed cur£ During our walk a total of 17 species of butterfly were noted. Those additional to

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the morning, being Peacock, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Ringlet, and a Purple Hairstreak resting on a leaf, at eye level.

Also noced:Moths - Mother of Pearl, Riband Wave, Small Magpie. Dragonflies - Brown Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer, Banded Demoiselle.

Large Skipper

by Douglas Hammersley

Purple Hairstreaks

The article in the last Suffolk Argus by Mike

Dean bas provoked two members to contribute further comments on this under-recorded butterfly. Here are their comments.

by Richard Stewart

As another masochistic neck-strainer, I was

delighted to read Mike Dean's article on Purple Hairstreaks in the Summer 2005 issue. One

point to add is their early morning activity if

the host Oak gets full sunshine. Recently on

holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees Marie and I

located them not fur from our base at Casa

Guilla. I was certain of the identity but a bit

confused because bairstreaks feeding on Bramble close to the Oaks were of another

species. I went back a few days later, before

breakfast, and was soon able to confirm their

identity. I did notice some querulous looks from others when I mentioned that they were often active early in the day.

As Mike indicated, this species can be vecy frustrating. I was looking all day on our recent meeting at Alton Reservoir bur with no success. For once I and a few others were actually ahead of the main group who managed ro find one clearly visible and almost at eye level. However, sometimes you just sense that conditions are right for a 'Purple Hairstreak evening' and this is what happened early evening on July 12th.

Marie and I got off the train at Westerfield Station and as usual I looked at the Oaks close to the platform. I had noted Purple Hairscreaks there some years ago but not recently, probably because of disturbance when the derelict station building was converted into a house. Now they were there again and also moving to and from an ash across the rails near the other platform. We spent some time observing them and no doubt were the cause

of some comment on the other train that pulled in. As Mike remarked, you also need a thick skin. Our normal twelve minute walk back home was somewhat lengthened by observing them in no less than eighteen oaks along Westerfield Road then, closer to home, seeing one flying across from a Chestnut to a Lime. Then a gap of several hundred oakless yards, and the busy Valley Road, before the large Oak just a few yards past our house. Many times I have looked unsuccessfully but on this occasion we counted at least four. Later, sitting near the bottom of our garden at about 7.40 pm, we were suddenly aware of them in a tall sunlit Sycamore that overhangs the far corner of our garden. We counted at least six, some flying between the Oak and Sycamore. We have had a single Purple Hairsueak in the garden for the last two years but, despite keeping detailed records and living there for almost ten years hadn't realised this until that evening.

The irony is that in the last few years we have dug out a small vegetable area and planted two apple trees and other fruits in this corner and have continually grumbled about the honeydew and shade from the overhanging Sycamore.

by Mike Hall

I completely agree with Mike Dean, when he says in his article in the recent issue of "The Suffolk Argus" that "I have come to the

conclusion that the Purple Hairstreak is really very much more common than the current

distribution maps might suggest". This is the same conclusion that we came to in Norfolk in

1985, during surveying for the first of the

recent Norfolk Butterfly Atlases. In that survey Stuart Paston made a point, in 1984, of

specifically targeting the Purple Hairstreak and

he concluded that "it occurs in more or less

every parish between Norwich and the Suffolk

border (including the city outskirts) - often in hedgerow trees some distance from woodland".

Despite the devastation caused to Oaks by the

1987 hurricane, from personal observations in South Norfolk I can see no reason to alter that

assessment today.

Purple Hairstreak

by Douglar Hammersley

mention Stuart's conclusions in 1985 because whilst most of his suggestions as to how to spot this butterfly are the same as those given by Mike Dean, one or two additional comments might be helpful to members looking for this species (probably in 2006 now!). The butterfly is much more noticeable around the crowns of trees in the early mornings - between 8.00 and 10.00 am when it is suitably sunny - and again in the evenings from 5.00 to 7.00 or 7.30 pm. Personally I recorded many more Purple Hairstreaks during the "early morning flight period", not least because on many days between mid July and early September by midday the early morning sun had gone and the rest of the day was cloudy or at least dull - and you don't get quite so many "funny looks" or "sarcastic comments" at this time of day. Between these periods it is much less obvious although of course it can still be seen during the heat of the day. Mike mentions the effect of "tossing a silver coin in the sunlight" and if Stuart's comment of "dancing in clockwise and anticlockwise circling manoeuvres above the crowns of the trees" is also borne in mind then there should be very little doubt when people think they have seen this butterfly. Perhaps it is also worth emphasising Mike's point about Ash trees as well as Oaks, as in places hedgerow Ash is more common than the Oak and in such places the Purple Hairstreak can be just as common. I am sure that the Purple Hairstreak is to be found in virtually every parish between Norwich and Ipswich and well beyond in much of the rest of both counties.