Lycaenidae : Theclinae
Purple Hairstreak
FAVONIUS quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Purple Hairstreak
FAVONIUS quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 31-40mm
Worldwide Distribution: N.Africa : Europe : Middle East : Turkey : Caucasus : Russia : S.Urals : Kazakstan
UK Distribution: Widely distributed throughout the southern half of England and Wales wherever Oak is growing, but increasingly uncommon further north.In Ireland it is a rare butterfly only occuring in Wicklow and Kerry. S.W Scotland
UK Conservation Status -
Flight Period: Late June-Early September-Univoltine : One Brood per Year
Habitat: Woodlands where sufficient Oaks are available : Towns & Parks : Heathland : Hedgerows : Oak Scrub : Plantations
Ovum: To fully protect the ova they are deposited at all heights in the tree canopy in warm, sheltered, southerly positions,singly at the base of a flower bud. In good years it is possible to find two or three ova close together.This overwinters stage last for eight months until the young larvae emerge at the beginning of April.
Larva: Upon hatching the tiny caterpillar bores into the flower bud where it remains until the first moult before emerging to spin a silk web at the base of the bud. The caterpillar prefers the safety of darkness to feed on fresh young oak leaves.
Pupa: The pupa is formed just below the surface of the ground or possibly within a crack or crevice of the Oak. The pupal stage lasts for four weeks. In the company of a well known "Lep" I was extremely lucky to see a final stage Purple Hairstreak appear as if by magic from the ground, clearly showing where this butterfly had pupated. Sadly the pupal case wasnt found but then in the company of Purple Emperors at the time its fair to say little effort was afforded to the task.
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: A beautiful butterfly confined to the Oak canopy where they feed on honeydew and mate,rarely coming down to feed except in conditions of heavy drought when they seek fluid and nectar at the lower levels.
The Purple Hairstreak, unlike so many of our butterflies, has increased its range recently into the midlands and south west Scotland possibly due to the improvements in air quality.
I was surprised in 2011 when I found two Purple Hairstreak in my small urban wildlife garden taking moisture or minerals from the soil,something I have not encountered before and then in 2012 I found an individual on top of my small plum tree, presumably feeding on aphid honeydew.It is clear the two large oaks situated in the estate do contain a colony of these beautiful butterflies but as you can see from below I still await my first female photo.
It is common for the Purple hairstreak to have a favourite tree, as I found in Pamber Forest this year, which can support numerous individuals and yet these were only visible in sunshine,vanishing completely in cloudier conditions.
I noticed individuals would fly to another tree, presumably to feed on aphid honeydew, before flying back to the "master tree".
Worldwide Distribution: N.Africa : Europe : Middle East : Turkey : Caucasus : Russia : S.Urals : Kazakstan
UK Distribution: Widely distributed throughout the southern half of England and Wales wherever Oak is growing, but increasingly uncommon further north.In Ireland it is a rare butterfly only occuring in Wicklow and Kerry. S.W Scotland
UK Conservation Status -
- Least Concern - Red List
- Least Concern
- Papilio quercus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Dipsas orientalis Murray, 1875
- England
Flight Period: Late June-Early September-Univoltine : One Brood per Year
Habitat: Woodlands where sufficient Oaks are available : Towns & Parks : Heathland : Hedgerows : Oak Scrub : Plantations
Ovum: To fully protect the ova they are deposited at all heights in the tree canopy in warm, sheltered, southerly positions,singly at the base of a flower bud. In good years it is possible to find two or three ova close together.This overwinters stage last for eight months until the young larvae emerge at the beginning of April.
Larva: Upon hatching the tiny caterpillar bores into the flower bud where it remains until the first moult before emerging to spin a silk web at the base of the bud. The caterpillar prefers the safety of darkness to feed on fresh young oak leaves.
Pupa: The pupa is formed just below the surface of the ground or possibly within a crack or crevice of the Oak. The pupal stage lasts for four weeks. In the company of a well known "Lep" I was extremely lucky to see a final stage Purple Hairstreak appear as if by magic from the ground, clearly showing where this butterfly had pupated. Sadly the pupal case wasnt found but then in the company of Purple Emperors at the time its fair to say little effort was afforded to the task.
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: A beautiful butterfly confined to the Oak canopy where they feed on honeydew and mate,rarely coming down to feed except in conditions of heavy drought when they seek fluid and nectar at the lower levels.
The Purple Hairstreak, unlike so many of our butterflies, has increased its range recently into the midlands and south west Scotland possibly due to the improvements in air quality.
I was surprised in 2011 when I found two Purple Hairstreak in my small urban wildlife garden taking moisture or minerals from the soil,something I have not encountered before and then in 2012 I found an individual on top of my small plum tree, presumably feeding on aphid honeydew.It is clear the two large oaks situated in the estate do contain a colony of these beautiful butterflies but as you can see from below I still await my first female photo.
It is common for the Purple hairstreak to have a favourite tree, as I found in Pamber Forest this year, which can support numerous individuals and yet these were only visible in sunshine,vanishing completely in cloudier conditions.
I noticed individuals would fly to another tree, presumably to feed on aphid honeydew, before flying back to the "master tree".
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Fagaceae - Oak - Chestnut - Beech Family
- Quercus cerris - Turkey Oak
- Quercus coccifera - Kermes Oak
- Quercus ilex - Holly Oak - Holm Oak
- Quercus petraea - Sessile Oak
- Quercus pubescens - Downy Oak
- Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - Common Oak
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - FAVONIUS: Original Species Name: Species Names: Genus Group Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidea Lycaenidae Theclinae Theclini FAVONIUS Verity, 1943 Favonius quercus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Dipsas orientalis Murray, 1875 - PAPILIO quercus (Linnaeus, 1758) = Quercusia quercus Linnaeus, 1758 = Quercusia quercus Linnaeus, 1758 = Neozephirus quercus Linnaeus, 1758 = Neozephyrus quercus Linnaeus, 1758 = Papilio epeus Sulzer, 1776 = Papilio epeus Sulz,1776 = Zephyrus iberica Staudinger 1901 = Thecla quercus - Favonius Sibatani & Ito 1942-Genus = Neozephyrus Sibatani & Ito 1942 = Quercusia Verity 1943 - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.482 n.148 - England - F.q. aurantia-excessa Tutt, 1907 F.q. caerulescens Lempke, 1936 F.q. depuncta Lempke, 1956 F.q. flavimaculatus Lienard, 1850 F.q. infraobscura Goodson, 1966 F.q. latefasciata Courvoisier, 1903 F.q. minor Tutt, 1907 F.q. obsoleta Tutt, 1907 - F.q.interjectus Verity, 1919-Italy F.q.longicaudatus Riley, 1921-West Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey F.q.iberica Staudinger, 1901-Morocco, Algeria, Iberia |