(Linnaeus, 1758)
Black Hairstreak
Description:
The Black Hairstreak can be found where there are Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) bushes growing. This may be in moderately dry woodland, or in a hedgerow, or on a woodbank, but it also occurs on solitary groups of Blackthorn bushes. Places with brambles are favourable, providing the nectar the butterflies need.
The eggs are laid on Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), but sometimes other Prunus species are used. The female chooses twigs that will flower the next spring. The small caterpillars that develop, pass the winter in the eggshell. When they emerge, they feed on the buds and flowers. When the caterpillars are fully-grown, they pupate. The black and white chrysalis, suspended in a silken girdle from a twig, looks very like a bird dropping, an attempt to avoid predation.
The Black Hairstreak is single-brooded.
Habitat:
Tree lines and hedges
Mixed woodland
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Satyrium w-album
Satyrium spini