White- letter Hairstreak 2

                              A single Elm surrounded by Oaks along the edge of a wood with plenty flowering thistles is perfect for WL Hairstreaks.
   A fantastic few days watching these seldom seen butterflies in my local wood.This single elm held about 8 individuals , I watched them doing the courtship display flight , spiralling high above the elm in two's and then falling back down to land on a chosen leaf. After a while I picked them up flying down and landing on the thistles close to the tree. They would then feed and fly back up to a chosen perch. In flight they look dark , where as Purple Hairstreaks always look pale.
I have seen 20 species of butterfly this year on my local walk .....!!!!!
This was a 2 hour walk yesterday................(16 species)
Small Tortoiseshell x 152
Comma x 9
Small Skipper x 8
Large Skipper x 2
Small Copper x 1
Purple Hairstreak x 7
White Letter Hairstreak x 4
Peacock x 10
Painted Lady x 1
Gatekeeper x 2
Ringlet x 18
Meadow Brown x 40 +
Large White x 5
Green veined White x 20 +
Small White x 20 +
Speckled Wood x 6