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Brown Hairstreak in Worcestershire - Bulletin 30

July 2006

Dear Brownhairstreakers,

I have delayed the publication of this ebulletin in the hope that I might be able to report the first Brown Hairstreaks on the wing but so far no news. With the continuation of hot, sunny weather, I feel we can be very confident that adults will emerge early this year. Last year, the first was spotted on 31st July so do keep your eyes peeled over the next few days to lay claim to the earliest sighting.

Early in the season, the best place to look is upwards! On emergence, male Brown Hairstreaks fly towards so called assembly trees where they congregate to await the emerging females. Over the last couple of years, we have identified a number of these trees and there is evidence that the same trees or groups of trees are favoured each year. The trees discovered so far have all been medium sized ash trees either prominent in a hedgerow or along the edge of a wood but there is no doubt that there are many more such trees to be discovered. We are hoping that some of our local Brown Hairstreak Champions will help us in this task. The best technique we have found for spotting adults is to scan the top of a potential tree with binoculars or a telescope. Often the adults will perch a few feet from the top on outlying branches. If you don't immediately see one, it is worth watching for around ten minutes before moving on to the next tree in case of any sign of movement. Do be aware, however, that Purple Hairstreaks can often be present around the tops of ash trees as well, so try to obtain a good view to make sure. Purple Hairstreaks look silvery in flight and are also smaller than Brown Hairstreaks with just a single hairstreak line on the underside. Please let us know of any sightings together with details of location, ideally with a grid reference.

To help you get your eye in, we shall be holding two assembly tree survey days at Grafton Wood on two consecutive Saturdays: 29th July and 5th August and we hope people will come along to one or other of these. On both days we will meet at Grafton Flyford Church (just off A422 Worcester - Stratford road) for 10 am and walk down towards the wood. The days will be led by Rob Mabbett who can be contacted on 01242 233792 if you have any concerns about the weather. There is no need to book, just turn up on the day and bring any binoculars or telescopes if you have them. Last year, we found 2 Brown Hairstreaks on the very first tree we searched within 30 seconds! This should be a really good opportunity to see normally elusive male Brown Hairstreaks and assist in an important conservation project.

I am away for the next couple of weeks working on a conservation project in Hungary but hope to come back to lots of interesting observations about Worcestershire's Brown Hairstreaks.

Mike Williams,
Brown Hairstreak Species Champion