Rare opportunity to see Purple Hairstreak butterflies close-up

Purple Hairstreak butterflies spend most of their adult phase living in the upper canopy of mature oak trees. Sometimes you can be lucky and see them close-up just after they emerge from their pupa at ground level. They settle on a twigs and shrubs to fully inflate their wings before flying high into the treetops. Most of the time though they can only be observed at a distance.

We will be looking for them in the oak canopy during our evening walk at Shaw Wood on 4th August (see Outings page for details). However, this Saturday you can have the opportunity to see two Purple Hairstreak butterflies up close. These were raised in captivity from eggs gathered from twigs brought down by the winds last autumn.