Green Hairstreak Butterfly
This beautiful butterfly is a Green Hairstreak, photographed at the weekend at WWT London Wetland Centre. It the first of its species to be recorded at the Centre.
Green Hairstreaks are widespread nationally, but rarely seen in this area. Butterfly Conservation list it as uncommon in Surrey, and the London Biodiversity Partnership consider it to be rare in Greater London. There are no previous records in the London Borough of Richmond that we are aware of.
Larvae of this butterfly feed on, among other plants, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Gorse, Bramble and Dogwood, all of which can be found here. The adult butterflies also feed on plants such as Bird’s Foot Trefoil.
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Image by Laurence Arnold.
