Information
| Law: | Protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. |
| Red List status: | Endangered |
| NERC Act S41: | Not listed |
| Local status: | Rare. (Bedfordshire's rarest butterfly).
Found in a couple of small colonies in Marston Vale (some on private property), plus a new discovery in the north of the county.
Only about 45 colonies exist in the whole of Britain, all in south-east midlands.
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| Size: | Small. |
| Larval foodplant: | Blackthorn. |
| No. of broods: | One. |
| Flight time(s): | Only about 3 weeks duration usually from early-June, but flight period varies each year, so to avoid missing it start looking at end of May.
Average first date: 12th June
Average last date: 21st June |
| Winter: | Egg. |
| Habits: | Never settles with wings open. Occasionally flies, but loves to skulk around the tops of trees out of sight, feeding on honeydew. May come down to feed on wild privet or bramble. Often requires lots of patience to find and binoculars to get a good view. Please report if you see one as you may be the only one to do so that year! |
| Habitats: | Mature thickets of sheltered sunny Blackthorn, usually in woodland. |
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Distribution:
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