Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae)

I found this nice Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) last August and was very pleased to be able to shoot it and get some decent images. It was only the second ever for me. The species is more common in the south of Finland than here in the east where I live. This individual was female but it probably can't be seen from this shot. I have some other captures in which the female's large orange patches on the upperwings are shown.

comments (7)

RMFelix

Lion

Beautiful!!! And so difficult to spot it is. Great capture, cheers* Posted 9 years ago

Ari Parviainen

King Cobra

Thanks RMFelix. That's right, it seems to be rather difficult species to spot. Looking forward to find some more in the summer ahead ;).
Posted 9 years ago
1. RMFelix
  
  Lion
  
  Look for Prunus spinosa, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_spinosa, but also Prunus domestica or Prunus avium in the surroundings... male specimens usually chose nearby locations to captivate females for copulation and ovipostures in Prunus. Cheers! Posted 9 years ago, modified 9 years ago
2. 1. Ari Parviainen
    
    King Cobra
    
    Thanks again for the nice hint. Those species don't grow here in the wild though or at least are very scarce but we have plenty of Prunus padus. Maybe that one qualifies here...? Those other Prunus species could be found here and there in the gardens. Posted 9 years ago
  2. 1. RMFelix
      
      Lion
      
      Probably yes* But it's a guess, although. Near other prunus you have also a great chance to spot them also. I believe you'll bring more T. betulae from this summer. Here they are considered rare, very rare, because there are only a few quite small locations for this species.. Added the fact that it is very difficult to get a close-up shot... Thanks a lot, Cheers* Posted 9 years ago

Annette Flottwell

Lion

What a stunning shot Ari, I have only got one, rather scraggy looking one ever. Posted 9 years ago
1. Ari Parviainen
  
  King Cobra
  
  Well, I've found only two of these beauties but have been lucky enough to get some decent shots from both of them :). Thanks Annette! Posted 9 years ago