The Purple Hairstreak is not a butterfly you will see at Croome without looking for it. It spends most of its time high in the treetops. They are usually found in oak trees, and can be seen as small silvery coloured butterflies flying around the leaves. If you are lucky (as I was) they will fly lower and settle on leaves not too far above eye level. If you do see one, it is easy to identify, as it has a single eye spot on its underwing, next to a tiny little tail.

When they land on a leaf, they tend to move around, they are dabbing at the leaves for honeydew, which is sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids.

You may be wondering why it is called a Purple Hairstreak. The 'hairstreak' bit comes from the white streak on the underwings, which you can clearly see. The purple refers to the colour of the tops of their wings, which are deep purple, and usually appears dull and dark (especially when they get old and warn). However, if you are really lucky, you could see one when the sun is shining at just the right angle, and you are treated to a spectacular display as in the one below (found in the woods at the south end of the river).