Knepp Starting to Wind Down...

It sounds incredible, but the Purple Emperor season at Knepp is starting to wind down - on July 9th. 

I walked the 2km Knepp PE transect today, in perfect weather (i.e. dead calm), and totalled only 24 - down from 56 last week. Method: afternoons only; no box - if it's an Emperor, it counts; ignore all other butterflies (though I have taken to counting Meadow Browns, which are scarcer along the route than Emperors!).

The 2018 data set runs: Wk 1 = 14, Wk 2 = 66, Wk 3 = 56, Wk 4 = 24. We should squeeze in a Week 5 count but I doubt we'll get a Week 6 count this year, unlike last year. 

The Emperors are becoming more and more localised and spasmodic in appearance. They are inactive in the morning (kicking off around 11.45 am). Nearly all males are now looking distinctly faded.

Message: don't travel any distance to see the Knepp Emperors this year, leave it till 2019. And don't come after next weekend, you'll be too late.

Here's a female imbibing oak sap yesterday evening -