Sloe Hairstreak - Satyrium acaciae

Sloe Hairstreak
Satyrium acaciae

This, and the three pictures below, were taken in the Val d'Aran in July 2005.

Val d'Aran, July 2004

This small hairstreak is easily separated from the ilex and false ilex hairstreaks by its smaller size, lighter coloration (beware, the others may be pale when worn) and more especially by the orange lunules on the hindwing, which are confluent, not separated, and enclose black spots along the outer margin. The 'hairstreak' also extends across the forewing.

Like most hairstreaks, this one is inconspicuous and may pass unnoticed even in a place one visits often. It took me several visits to the Val d'Aran before I discovered a colony of sloe hairstreaks but after that they were easy to relocate.