Since their discovery at Langford in 2010 and 2011 respectively, we have always been on the look out for purple and white-letter hairstreaks on site around the woodland. Both species are small butterflies and often go un-noticed as they flit around the canopy – rarely landing within binocular view!
Today I spent a bit of time in and around the woodland looking for these charming little creatures and was delighted to (probably!) find both species. It isn’t easy to identify a hairstreak, flying very fast, never landing and 40 feet up in the tree tops, but I did my best and recorded definite purple hairstreaks and probable white-letter hairstreaks. This is encouraging news for Langford as both species are certainly not common in the UK, are quite under-recorded and the white-letter hairstreak in particular has suffered large declines in recent years, corresponding with the decline in it’s foodplant, elm, due to Dutch Elm Disease.
The best place to look for the hairstreaks is on the public footpath by the woodland near our new car park. Above our modular board and kissing gate at the woodland entrance are a large ash tree and oak tree. Purple hairstreaks favour this area – look for a small butterfly in the tree tops, with silvery coloured wings, these show up especially well in bright sunshine.
Just along from the ash and oak tree is a patch of elm, this is where you may come across white-letter hairstreaks. Look for a darker butterfly this time, a similar size to the purples, but without the silvery colouration on the wings.
Good luck and do let us know if you see any.
Confirmed white-letter hairstreak seen in the woodland today by Nick Crouch - many thanks Nick for the record.