Brown Hairstreak

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.A pretty little butterfly that is found along hedges, scrub, and wood edges but is often overlooked since it spends much of its time high in the tree canopy. Like the Purple Emperor this butterfly uses 'master trees', usually European Ash Fraxinus excelsior. Males and unmated females congregate at the tops of isolated trees. Once mated the female descends to lower levels to begin laying her eggs. males rarely descend and both feed mainly on honey dew. Both sexes are dark brown on the upperside with orange tails. The female also has a bright orange band across both forwings. The undersides are similar in both sexes and are bright orange with two white streaks.