Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae)
2011 photos highlighted in green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 14398_female_Var_29Sep08 | 14402_female_Var_29Sep08 | 9187_female_Charente_14Aug07 |
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9187 was only the second betulae I have ever seen, the first being some seven years ago in the same general area. They seem to be very sedentary and elusive. This one was nectaring in the shadows and I have had to lighten the photo considerably in order to be able to see it, hence the white background. It seems to be quite a worn individual, having lost the strong brown-orange of fresh specimens. |
In 2008 I noticed 14398 when it landed on the ground. It was not at all clear what it was doing, but had its wings partially open for a minute or two before closing them. Naturally, it settled behind some sprigs of grass, hence the obscured photo. As soon as I tried to move the grass, it disappeared. |
| ref | sex |
observations |
alt. m |
| 14398 |
a female, as the male does not have the prominent orange upf bands. As mentioned above, I have no idea what the purpose of its ground level activities were, as it did not appear to be doing anything. It is not a species I would have expected to see at ground level. I had never seen one in Var (or, indeed, anywhere outside western France) before this one. |
780 | |
| 14402 |
the underside of 14398. |
780 | |
| 9187 |
I'm guessing that 9187 is a female based only on the just-visible body shape. |
90 |
