Satyrium w-album

Hostplant: Ulmus glabra.

Lifecycle and behavior: The female lay her eggs at the base of the leaf buds, usually singular but sometimes up to 3 eggs at the same time and spot. Preferentially on older twigs. The eggs can be found if looking closely in the right place. They have a characteristically "flying saucer" appearance. I found several hatched eggs in early spring, and nearby on sprouting leafbuds i found the L1 larva feeding. They preferentially choose the flower bud on the tree, which sprout really early in the spring. As young, they burrow their heads into the flower buds and eats the inside. As they grow bigger, they eat the leaves. The larval stages lasted about 3 weeks, and they molted 3 times. The pupal stage lasted about 3 weeks as well. The adults are on the wing usually in July, but can also appear in late June. They fly in one generation and spends most of their time high up in the canopy. The larva hibernates inside the eggshell and hatches early in the spring the following year.