Quest to see Green Hairstreaks

“Wow! What’s that?”, was my initial response when I saw my first Green Hairstreak butterfly last year feeding on some hawthorn blossom. A few weeks later I saw another, at the same location (Steyning). Sadly, both encounters were too brief, but this gorgeous little butterfly, which I’d never even heard of before, left quite an impression on me. The vivid green of its underwing was stunning. I fell in love with it immediately and was keen to see one again. The adults only emerge in the UK between mid-April to mid-July. Essentially, I had to wait until this year, only I wasn’t going to leave it to chance, I wanted to go in search of them.

I did some online research on past sightings in Sussex and quizzed my friend Bob, who’d photographed them in the county before and he’d already had sightings this year. I knew they were starting to emerge and I was all fired up and eager. I did a recce earlier in the week at the Devil’s Dyke on the South Downs. Funnily enough, that day I bumped into another nature lover, Keith, whom I’d met the previous year whilst searching for orchids. He was kind enough to walk with me to the location to make sure I was looking in the correct place, which made life a lot easier. However, we didn’t have any joy. It was a bit too cloudy, windy and the hawthorn wasn’t yet in blossom. He suggested coming back in a few weeks.

Spring is such a wonderful time of year when nature is preparing for new life and new growth. It’s no surprise really that I saw lots on this day. I’d not even walked 50m from my car when I noticed a Holly Blue butterfly flying around some Common Dogwood. Out the corner of my eye I also noticed a male Orange Tip butterfly hovering above a disinterested female 5m away. I was torn. The Orange Tips were high on the list of species I wanted to photograph, but almost as soon as I was thinking about going over towards them, they both took to the skies and flitted up and over a building. Decision made. I stuck with the Holly Blue. At least she occasionally rested on a leaf, so I had a better chance of getting a photo. No sooner had I got my macro lens out, she paused right in front of me. Perfect! Thank you very much!

I was just starting to focus on her when I realised she was tucking her abdomen right into the flower bud. She was oviposting (releasing an egg)! What luck! What timing! After she flew off I looked in between the buds and sure enough I could see a white spec. It was time for the glasses to go on! I hadn’t thought to bring my magnifying glass with me. Upon closer inspection I discovered it was indeed a beautiful little white egg about 0.6mm wide with a bumpy surface. Result!

I had a feeling it was going to be a good day! The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in sight and even though the wind was noticeable and cooling the air, it was still warm. It was one of the first days in spring when I didn't near to wear a coat. Happy days, indeed!

I ambled slowly along the footpath through a narrow strip of woodland. It was lovely having the company of the birds singing. Every now and then the calm was disturbed by squeals from excited children nearby or when small groups of people chatting walked past me. It was noticeably busier than my mid-week visit and I missed the quiet.

I tried to notice as much as possible around me. There was just a small splattering of bluebells and an occasional Red Campion flowering already - more of a deep pink than red. I have much to learn when it comes to identifying all the flowers and trees, but some names were coming back to me. The Cuckoo Flower was one I remember well from last year, because it’s one of the flowers the Orange Tip butterfly lays its eggs on. I don’t seem to be able to walk past them now without looking for signs of the distinct orange striated oval egg. There was nothing on the first few, but it didn’t take long before I found three single eggs on separate flowers. I’ll have to go back another time to see how they're doing.

When I got down low to the first flower, I suddenly realised I was a foot away from a pair of mating Crane Flies. They didn’t seem to mind my presence and continued about their business. One had its wings spread open and the pattern is rather lovely when the light is shining through them.

I passed by the spot where Keith had shown me the Townhall Clock flower earlier in the week. He explained how this tiny green flower is an Ancient Woodland indicator. You can see how it gets one of its common names. It was nestled in at the base of the trees on a bank and you’d never know it was there if you weren’t looking closely. Certainly, the young boy swinging on the branch of the tree as I walked past had no idea.

Not far from there I saw my first shrew. Unfortunately, it wasn’t alive, but I stopped to take a photograph all the same. Having never seen one before, I was curious and noticed its characteristic long snout (which was how I knew what it was). Just how it had reached its demise was unclear. I’ve read they’ve very fast and need to feed every 2-3 hours. They only live for about a year, so maybe it just died of natural causes.

That nice relaxing picnic I’d envisaged – it didn’t happen! I ate the rest of my wrap standing up. I made a mental note of the tree where I’d seen the butterflies and then continued along the line of them until there was a gap and a path going up. I needed to be on the hillside, so I had a better view. I scrambled up the steep slope a short way and walked through the taller grass on the other side of the trees and scrub. Almost immediately, I noticed the wind had dropped. I knew the butterflies would favour a sheltered spot, so again, felt reassured. I’d only passed a few trees and then once again I noticed more manic flying. This time there were five of the tiny little butterflies, all trying to stake claim to the same hawthorn tree. It wasn’t until one settled on the leaves virtually right in front of me, its unmistakable green colour shining brightly in the sun, that I finally smiled to myself. Yay! Success!

The Green Hairstreaks were most obliging and I was able to get several photos of them on the leaves, grass and flowers (though the hawthorn itself wasn’t in blossom yet). I was spoilt for choice and sometimes didn’t know which one to photograph! I took my time and experimented with different settings and lenses. I love using the macro lens and seeing the smaller details, like how hairy they are and noticing how there’s a small bit of green in between their eyes. One very kindly unrolled its proboscis (long tubular sucking organ for feeding on flowers) and appeared to be licking its forelegs.

They were so well camouflaged on the leaves. They only had to be angled a particular way and you would lose sight of them, even though you knew they were there. But, when the sun caught the underwing, that green just shimmered and shone so vibrantly, it was a dead giveaway.

Trying to catch them in flight might have been considered a fool’s errand. I certainly didn’t try for long as it was near on impossible. Generally, the best solution was to pre-focus on an area and wait for one to fly into the frame. This is the better of the two photos I decided to keep, merely because it’s great to see the contrasting colour of the upperwing – a rather dowdy brown comparatively.

Since I hadn’t even walked back to the tree where I’d seen the first two flying around, I eventually moved on. I was hopeful I might see more. Fleetingly, I wondered if I’d be lucky enough to see a mating pair. But the chances seemed so slim. I’ve read the males emerge ahead of the females in many butterfly species, because the females mate almost immediately after emerging. However, I had no idea if any of the females had emerged yet.

The Green Hairstreaks weren’t the only butterflies on the block, though certainly their number dominated. A solitary yellow Brimstone glided by swiftly a few times. A Peacock did much the same. Only a mottled brown Dingy Skipper came close enough for me to photograph it. It's incredibly small and they're very easy to miss.

On my previous visit, I’d spotted a silk nest on one of the branches. It was the home of some Lackey Moth caterpillars. It was good to see them still growing and thriving. I found another nest later with smaller caterpillars covering it. Even though the nests weren’t that close to me, I appreciated the fact they weren’t flighty and easier to photograph!

I paused to look for more hairstreaks when I reached the tree where I’d seen them flying earlier. Conveniently, there was one solitary one right in front of me. I looked up higher and spotted the silhouette of a mating pair on the edge of the tree. I couldn’t believe my luck! I got the binoculars out to get a better view as they weren’t that close and took a few photos. But, it wasn’t until a bit later that the sun was shining on them. Needless to say, I was thrilled! I contemplated waiting for the mating to be over, however, I had no idea how long that would be and they weren’t in a hurry to get the job done. Eventually, I left them to it, as I’d already been so lucky with everything I’d seen. It had been an amazing afternoon. That wasn’t even the end of it.

After walking through the grass, avoiding the brambles and tree shrubs, I neared a vertical path that would lead me down to the valley floor again. Just at the last moment, I suddenly noticed an Adder basking in the afternoon sun. It was aware of my approach and was already alert, looking my way. It was quite dark compared to some others I’d seen the previous weekend (that had already shed their skin). When it slithered off into the scrub, I noticed it was relatively short too, so a younger one. What a bonus though and a nice way to end the day.

I was so happy to get such great sightings of the Green Hairstreak butterflies. They’re such beauties! I felt inspired to write about it and share my experience. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading.