Brown Hairstreak
Thecla betulae
National Status
Local in southern England. Population trend 10 years to 2016 to 2016 -58%; since 1976 -15%.
West Midlands Status
Confined to east Worcestershire, range expanding locally in the core area: now recorded in over 300 1-km OS grid squares.
Brown Hairstreak was recorded in 20 squares in 2026
10 Year Trend Analysis
Habitat
The wooded landscape of the former Forest of Feckenham, particularly scrubby woodland edges and farm hedgerows.
Caterpillar Food Plant
Blackthorn
Life Cycle
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Egg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Larva | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pupa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adult | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flight Period
End of July to early October.
First/Last Sightings 2026
| First Sighting | Recorded by | Last Sighting | Recorded by |
| 16 January | Corfield, Gert | 3 October | Cooper Walsh, Clairw |
Distribution Map
Key
Total number of sightings per tetrad
Hotspots
Grafton Wood, Trench Wood and Morton Stanley Park in Redditch (Worcestershire).