White Letter Hairstreak Butterfly Identification and Survey Training

Learn how to spot and track the elusive White Letter Hairstreak butterfly in this fun, hands-on training session.
About this Event

Join us on a local training session to help find one of our most elusive and vulnerable butterflies- the White-letter Hairstreak.

We are looking for people to help us monitor numbers of White-letter hairstreak butterfly in Tunbridge Wells. This butterfly breeds on elm trees and has largely declined since the 1970s due to Dutch elm disease decimating its main food source. However this butterfly is present in Tunbridge Wells and new disease resistant elm trees are being planted to help support their populations.

In this session, you will learn how to spot the habitats they favour, and develop an eye for spotting Elm- their sole larval foodplant. We will look at typical signs of their presence, including feeding damage, and of course hope to spot the butterflies themselves as they circle the Elm canopy.

A number of new colonies have been discovered around Tunbridge Wells in recent months, and along with initiatives to plant Disease Resistant Elms, the future is looking bright for this small yet characterful butterfly. However, they remain vulnerable, and developing a team of volunteers that can monitor this species is a priority!