Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Alice males look second class!

Back home in Alice Holt, showing Mike McCarthy from The Independent his first Iris. Of course, just after he left, Herself appeared (at the main male assembly point at Goose Green Old Car park) and immediately attracted 4 males from trees I thought held only 2. Chaos ensued. She led them a merry dance, then vanished; and then it clouded up. She minxed the lot of us. I hung around for ages of course, eventually watching 3 males joining in Brother Quercus's evening flight - at last a decent evening flight of PH.

Also today, a freshly emerged male in Straits Inclosure, tho all the others seen today were faded or torn or both. I saw 11 there (2 females) which is less than half peak season numbers. A couple of males were still sallow searching - quite late for this stage in the season.

At Goose Green I nailed a nice male paphia ab ocellata which I'd walked past, only for Mike to spot it.....

I've now seen Iris for 21 consecutive days, the longest run since 1975 when I did the whole season. I have lost all sense of time, place, distance, perspective and reason - it it so enliberating: I'm talking about Freedom..... 'Our life is no dream, but it should and perhaps will become one' (Novalis).

Matthew

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