Wingspan: 25–30 mm
Flight period of the butterflies: in one or two generations; the first from April to June, the second from July to September
Larval host plants: primrose (Primula vulgaris) and other species in the genus Primula (Primula)
The Brown Hairstreak (Hamearis lucina) belongs to the subfamily Hairstreaks (Riodininae), which has previously been treated as a separate family (Riodinidae). Within it a large number of species were placed, most of which live in tropical America. The Brown Hairstreak is the only representative of the subfamily Hairstreaks in Europe, but it can easily be mistaken for some other species, as the pattern of orange spots on the dark brown upperside of its wings resembles the pattern on the wings of butterflies from the family Pisančkov. The orange spots along the outer edge of its wings are crescent-shaped, and the orange-brown underside of the hindwings is characterized by oval white spots arranged in two bands.
Hairstreaks fly through forest clearings, along forest edges and along the edges of forest roads from the lowlands to the forest's edge. Here they seek flowering plants where they feed, and larval host plants where females lay their eggs. In our country it is widespread, but nowhere is it particularly common.
