Imperial Hairstreak (4/5)

Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae

Jalmenus evagoras  

I watched an Imperial Hairstreak climbing around a shrub and my guess is that it was a female laying eggs. The end of its abdomen was pointed at the shrub stem as it moved and it stopped for short intervals.

When the butterfly flew to another shrub is was intercepted by a second Imperial Hairstreak, the lower one in this photograph.

I think what might be happening here is the egg-laying female above is rapidly beating her wings as a message to the male that she's not interested.

There was no physical contact between the two and they went separate ways, the bottom butterfly to return to a watching position high on the plant.