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Friday, August 12, 2016
Who says Purple Emperors don't like flowers!
I have just perused the Dorset Butterfly sightings page and have seen a record of a female on 10th August photographed on a garden buddleia. Equally as interesting was the location, at St Ives near Ringwood, not a known hotbed for iris. It is well known that females will move some distance from their usual areas in August, I have seen wandering females on two occasions at Noarhill, Hampshire well into this month. Looking back over the Hampshire Butterfly Reports, I remember a male was seen nectaring on a buddleia on 1st August 1987 at Wellow. This is unusual behaviour but it might just be worth checking those garden buddleias, just in case.
Otford Kent 2015 (22nd July). Posted here. Yes generally unusual, but now 1-2 reports each year. I am now investigating the attraction compounds of both male and female emperors.
ReplyDeleteThere is now an interesting article and a photograph of this female in the news section of the Dorset Butterfly Conservation website.
ReplyDeleteWe get a record of an old, dispersing adult (both sexes) on garden buddleias in most years now (e.g. a male in the Dever valley, Hants, last late July). Some of these may be wedding butterflies - butterfly confetti...
ReplyDeleteIndeed; a couple of years ago we had a report, and photos, of a female visiting a garden buddleia in Chinnor Oxon two days running.
ReplyDelete