Looks like I got that wrong... (see last post)...
A large area of low pressure is anchored over Britain, prevented from moving away by blocking highs. Very few midsummer butterflies are going to emerge in the current temperatures, especially those that pupate in trees (as opposed to warm microclimate niches at ground level).
The 2024 Emperor season is, in effect, suffering from the entomological equivalent of a full motorway closure...
Once the weather improves, Emperors will need two or three genuinely warm days before they start to emerge. Their season is now unlikely to start before Thurs 20th.
However, hope springs eternal, and I will look this Sunday, the 16th, if the weather looks suitable that day...
The bad news is that the longer this poor weather lasts, and the longer the insect is trapped in the vulnerable pupal stage, the fewer Emperors will fly - due to predation of pupae by unknown predators.
Watch this space...
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