There is a most attractive, very scarce and elusive late summer butterfly, namely the brown hairstreak, which flies from mid-August into late September.

Of patchy localised distribution, found mainly in the west, most field guides state that the species is extinct in the south east.

Imagine my delight therefore when in late August we discovered a colony just off the A3 near Chessington. The female (pictured) is more colourful than the male having a large orange patch on each dusky-brown forewing and bright golden-orange white striped underwings sporting tiny tails. The male is overall dull brown with lighter coloured undersides.

When not egg laying, females spend much time basking in the sun with wings open and are only active in warm sunny weather. Males spend almost all of their day perched high up on lofty 'master'trees such as ash or oak. When females hatch from their chrysalids they fly up to join the males where mating takes place.

Their ideal habitat is among ancient well established hedgerows containing abundant blackthorn (sloe), damson, oaks, hawthorn and ideally ash.

Eggs are laid singly on blackthorn twigs close to the junction of young growth low down in the bushes.

Eggs are bright white, pin head sized and very conspicuous so many must be picked off by foraging birds during winter when the blackthorn bushes are bare. Caterpillars hatch in April.

So, a most exciting find in leafy Surrey.