(Fabricius, 1787)
Sloe Hairstreak
Description:
The Sloe Hairstreak is found in dry scrub in woods, at wood margins, or in the open landscape. They are also seen in abandoned vineyards on calcareous soils. When looking for nectar, the butterflies seem to prefer white flowers.
Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus spinosa) is practically the only food plant of the Sloe Hairstreak, and eggs are laid on branches that are in the sun. The small caterpillars stay in the egg until after the winter, emerging in the spring and feeding on the young Blackthorn leaves. When fully-grown, they leave the food plant to pupate on the ground in leaf litter.
Habitat:
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mixed woodland
Heath and shrub
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Satyrium ilicis
Satyrium esculi