tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34622244699381833032024-03-17T20:00:36.352-07:00The Purple EmpireWant to be a Blogger too?
Email to derekcva@gmail.com, and I'll get you logged on.Derek Longhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03669210989794244490noreply@blogger.comBlogger1773125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-70006085956464660442024-02-20T01:41:00.000-08:002024-02-20T01:41:29.731-08:00Greening Up...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><i>Iris </i>larvae are greening up, already. Most of the 11 larvae I checked in Savernake yesterday were between 20% and 30% green, two were more like 50%. Here's three of them - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06600zeBE1esCfIH9kVLslrzjVREdD_R6vfzuiq1RkDVv906ouYsgd40PD3pbwmkV3bpZOaK1fEX3kBvh6d5iVcHsuTfjfpEEsyT8AxQRSrnJjrjThjZRwoZXCNv20BZeQ35G54ax-TWXQ7GYU1MW_W6-7pvaKy1VoAGtlHeMm69gTd7poHdChglinSw/s4000/z%20PE%20L%20in%20H%20by%20bud%20%20greening%20up%20%20Badger%20Cottage%20No%201%20Sav%20%2019.2.24%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06600zeBE1esCfIH9kVLslrzjVREdD_R6vfzuiq1RkDVv906ouYsgd40PD3pbwmkV3bpZOaK1fEX3kBvh6d5iVcHsuTfjfpEEsyT8AxQRSrnJjrjThjZRwoZXCNv20BZeQ35G54ax-TWXQ7GYU1MW_W6-7pvaKy1VoAGtlHeMm69gTd7poHdChglinSw/w363-h263/z%20PE%20L%20in%20H%20by%20bud%20%20greening%20up%20%20Badger%20Cottage%20No%201%20Sav%20%2019.2.24%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="363" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04iqNbS36PZk2qOJykGiFisJtqmLbA1UCuTVhOuqcv3n1fiu_ONoY5SFXMSwyi7qFLpW8yHBM6QdClL4hT-BVbX-YbgWIPDMO1nc8ZM4VrY5aAcb_oSspSQU5mxlxZyn8tODi4GegwK5MqGHFf0mG3JS8Y82MH8XWFxrBWEikLo6-zGZAONOi5zbZ5ko/s3655/z%20PE%20L%20in%20H%20by%20bud%20%20greening%20up%20%20Badger%20Cottage%20No%202%20%20Sav%2019.2.24%20qg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2819" data-original-width="3655" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04iqNbS36PZk2qOJykGiFisJtqmLbA1UCuTVhOuqcv3n1fiu_ONoY5SFXMSwyi7qFLpW8yHBM6QdClL4hT-BVbX-YbgWIPDMO1nc8ZM4VrY5aAcb_oSspSQU5mxlxZyn8tODi4GegwK5MqGHFf0mG3JS8Y82MH8XWFxrBWEikLo6-zGZAONOi5zbZ5ko/w350-h272/z%20PE%20L%20in%20H%20by%20bud%20%20greening%20up%20%20Badger%20Cottage%20No%202%20%20Sav%2019.2.24%20qg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="350" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3AMo37iE44OpJi_kGxgJneJa0MlUFrRJ-2FdXLoCe3KALIFfEi9_ASdCVpQTYQ4zT-98Vcevs_OLZ8V2TNI7Mq01SvJ8SXVAq7ZGxkgC4w_m8AqT2j5OX8mfdIkgjEdtxKiyVts8UJxXltgVxlO_22_ihGIjXy_iq91WnjhyHiO438ZWHP3Ts0xjBHo/s3825/z%20PE%20L%20in%20H%20by%20bud%20%20greening%20up%20%20RVBW%20No%202%20%20Sav%2019.2.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2930" data-original-width="3825" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3AMo37iE44OpJi_kGxgJneJa0MlUFrRJ-2FdXLoCe3KALIFfEi9_ASdCVpQTYQ4zT-98Vcevs_OLZ8V2TNI7Mq01SvJ8SXVAq7ZGxkgC4w_m8AqT2j5OX8mfdIkgjEdtxKiyVts8UJxXltgVxlO_22_ihGIjXy_iq91WnjhyHiO438ZWHP3Ts0xjBHo/w347-h268/z%20PE%20L%20in%20H%20by%20bud%20%20greening%20up%20%20RVBW%20No%202%20%20Sav%2019.2.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="347" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Normally, they're that green in mid to late March, so they are running about four weeks early - for now.</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The forest sallows are less advanced, though many roadside sallows around Swindon and the Cotswold Water Park are well in bloom, males and the later-flowering females. One sallow along the A419 at Kingsdown (which is Purple) on the east edge of Swindon is quite well in leaf - any larvae on it might well be feeding. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">One of these years <i>iris </i>will be on the wing in Brexit Britain before the end of May...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Winter predation levels remain within the 'normal' range.</span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-74347123468866328782024-02-04T03:09:00.000-08:002024-02-04T03:09:32.113-08:002023-24 Winter News...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Purple Emperor larvae are about halfway through their five month hibernation. Most hibernate by buds or in forks.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHg1NYaVWYhZeNVS1UMBvGZmacOgHQXBT4f572_saKRTbZR9DEeHFeuCy4UBGJrtbMnN3PXyNFH6tC_VJpKUWtxIY5eKZDzn311xKgRzCUVKoD3nsu5GcwBRZL-MQestsV2CsZne4XkNCtu7e8Fq992mrxDrvFG9RLn-VTKnnXwlmbBuOUhefdvs_Ih8/s3831/PE%20L%20H%20by%20bud%20%20Badger%20Cott%20No%201%20%20Sav%202.2.24%20%20vg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3831" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHg1NYaVWYhZeNVS1UMBvGZmacOgHQXBT4f572_saKRTbZR9DEeHFeuCy4UBGJrtbMnN3PXyNFH6tC_VJpKUWtxIY5eKZDzn311xKgRzCUVKoD3nsu5GcwBRZL-MQestsV2CsZne4XkNCtu7e8Fq992mrxDrvFG9RLn-VTKnnXwlmbBuOUhefdvs_Ih8/s320/PE%20L%20H%20by%20bud%20%20Badger%20Cott%20No%201%20%20Sav%202.2.24%20%20vg.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">A few hibernate in scars or on lichenised branches - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBs7p5H2XZkGivvRQKx3_Z1V3zPd92kAuCB-uzUSrjOFC0pXJ04fpUCWTfekrlDJ4H48XlJp_CFINx3NYouqgORslNXhUM_uxh6b_Skx5d8-njHqHj2TmdUySr9vNWChfgDA7zpoTJEHbRV-Sf9iRR92q_7km65KKsKLvHJnkB6ula6d3DWHK83tOSjnI/s3737/PE%20L%20in%20H%20in%20fresh%20scar%20%20RVB%20No%202%20%20Sav%2024.11.23%20%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3737" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBs7p5H2XZkGivvRQKx3_Z1V3zPd92kAuCB-uzUSrjOFC0pXJ04fpUCWTfekrlDJ4H48XlJp_CFINx3NYouqgORslNXhUM_uxh6b_Skx5d8-njHqHj2TmdUySr9vNWChfgDA7zpoTJEHbRV-Sf9iRR92q_7km65KKsKLvHJnkB6ula6d3DWHK83tOSjnI/s320/PE%20L%20in%20H%20in%20fresh%20scar%20%20RVB%20No%202%20%20Sav%2024.11.23%20%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHG6AQC4ITw0HojAfQEYlfF1xgZJu6qmM8lBcK-ktVIuHieygLy_ExDwDgzAEQzJYIcJafuX_dfkSIdPnKx1clCBVX-254wldJbjflkgurONmV7xo7h06zSvcgZ4HKzxY0oRtojNsAACZszv4KCiTrijGNUSMvpc_fXrSzpBH1M4InjT95BE_tUHUFvME/s3773/PE%20L%20H%20on%20branch%20%20Moved.%20%20RVB%20No%202%20Sav%20%202.2.24%20vg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2867" data-original-width="3773" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHG6AQC4ITw0HojAfQEYlfF1xgZJu6qmM8lBcK-ktVIuHieygLy_ExDwDgzAEQzJYIcJafuX_dfkSIdPnKx1clCBVX-254wldJbjflkgurONmV7xo7h06zSvcgZ4HKzxY0oRtojNsAACZszv4KCiTrijGNUSMvpc_fXrSzpBH1M4InjT95BE_tUHUFvME/s320/PE%20L%20H%20on%20branch%20%20Moved.%20%20RVB%20No%202%20Sav%20%202.2.24%20vg.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">They are quite heavily predated during this period, and this winter seems to be no exception. Great Tit seems to be the main culprit. Certainly, when tit numbers are high, Emperor larvae get clobbered. Heaviest losses occur during the late winter period. So we are just entering the main danger time...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Tit numbers are currently very high (even RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch data suggests this...), despite poor weather during the breeding season last year. Blue and Great Tits are everywhere in the woods, though as yet they are not roaming around in sizeable flocks.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Larval losses seem to be following the normal pattern - I lost two in a week in Savernake at the end of January, to assumed bird predation. All that remains is the vacated silk pad, like this -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIoeNf_CbO4bX25TO6YMRRhtWS3R6aJt3BRDYAGPL7LNa6uPL9OithNAID4StyXqw_5F8JDkYMzrjjRn8Pe9Lc6qsMPFETfP9VIVv6v4MshmTh9A6WuwCxjyV57Ujhhs0TR1Mt6sSc5PU4WkS5_8BZoNXjflodkHA5sGSNUwI67w6QsccOTna5CHvqfk/s4000/PE%20L%20silk%20pad%20from%20lost%20L%20%20RVB%20W%20No%201%20Sav%20%202.2.24%20vg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIoeNf_CbO4bX25TO6YMRRhtWS3R6aJt3BRDYAGPL7LNa6uPL9OithNAID4StyXqw_5F8JDkYMzrjjRn8Pe9Lc6qsMPFETfP9VIVv6v4MshmTh9A6WuwCxjyV57Ujhhs0TR1Mt6sSc5PU4WkS5_8BZoNXjflodkHA5sGSNUwI67w6QsccOTna5CHvqfk/s320/PE%20L%20silk%20pad%20from%20lost%20L%20%20RVB%20W%20No%201%20Sav%20%202.2.24%20vg.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">In addition, I seem to have lost two to invertebrate predation - some sucking bug, that pierces the larval skin and sucks out the contents. Like this - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP9Wy3k4hW7AftqhDlohkmMeoRe_IMrPXtVqxF-9_RVK2MlSq-qzY65ADBSmYAxsJKKUt-0mjTstpXPJcIpX8Eu4t8QHiyMSMghuvDg56E2Qbbmd_EutC7sOzKjQDToGZW5JI9LoQ7ozStD1tyfUuI-GqulGS77w71OsJ7kORfUFULd4Urm7Yk-3_DB8/s3626/PE%20L%20predated%20-%20sucked%20-%20or%20desiccated%20%20LHP%20No%201%20%20Sav%20%202.2.24%20vg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3626" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP9Wy3k4hW7AftqhDlohkmMeoRe_IMrPXtVqxF-9_RVK2MlSq-qzY65ADBSmYAxsJKKUt-0mjTstpXPJcIpX8Eu4t8QHiyMSMghuvDg56E2Qbbmd_EutC7sOzKjQDToGZW5JI9LoQ7ozStD1tyfUuI-GqulGS77w71OsJ7kORfUFULd4Urm7Yk-3_DB8/s320/PE%20L%20predated%20-%20sucked%20-%20or%20desiccated%20%20LHP%20No%201%20%20Sav%20%202.2.24%20vg.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This seems to be a phenomenon of modern mild winters...</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Whatever, some larvae will survive and thrive, and we will have a Purple Emperor season during 2024. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This is my 60th year of butterflying, the Purple Emperor entered my life back in June 1964... So it's party time...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Also, and more importantly, <i>Notes and Views of the Purple Emperor </i>was published sixty years ago, in 1964. Here's a photo of the lead author, IRP Heslop, with his 37' 'high net', and his van. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQM3CMSKRqvmSHbEvDTPbD4lHhFoI7pEpiSWAxzo5GblMGl1rBce6BpQN7XCfBRBlGvQSpppzyOyRdkXLn_xeC1VN0JKs4pxvx2Tv6-bFnpPzKEdLkAPrs_aBHoNm3PYuUVGlqNNOFdOjVQq7XsPiUsPuuoQ-JhhNHy1zzWF6fQTvLLtUnpqSmMxzyI4/s6240/PE%20IRPH%20+%20net%20&%20van%20%20Whiteparish%20%20%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQM3CMSKRqvmSHbEvDTPbD4lHhFoI7pEpiSWAxzo5GblMGl1rBce6BpQN7XCfBRBlGvQSpppzyOyRdkXLn_xeC1VN0JKs4pxvx2Tv6-bFnpPzKEdLkAPrs_aBHoNm3PYuUVGlqNNOFdOjVQq7XsPiUsPuuoQ-JhhNHy1zzWF6fQTvLLtUnpqSmMxzyI4/s320/PE%20IRPH%20+%20net%20&%20van%20%20Whiteparish%20%20%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-70193132940167951682023-11-14T04:29:00.000-08:002023-11-14T04:30:36.164-08:00Dangle Leaf Time...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Purple Emperor larvae have been disappointingly scarce this autumn. </span><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">My annual autumn tally in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire, determined by standardised searches, was a meagre 22 - less than half what I'd expected.</span><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">It now looks that the July weather was too poor for the laying females, and that the egg lay was consequently low - </span><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">at least away from the East Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex region where the butterfly enjoyed an</span><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="color: #ff00fe;">annus mirabilis</i><span style="color: #ff00fe;">.</span></span><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I have yet to find any sign of the insect in my local patch, Cirencester Park Woods, Gloucestershire - in over 50 hours of searching for larvae. This is in part due to the severe outbreak of <i>Melampsora </i>Willow Rust mentioned in my previous post, which has been rampant in the Cirencester / Cotswold Water Park area, but also in part due to poor flight season weather reducing the egg lay in what is a very small population, of recent origin. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Everything now depends on the Dangle Leaf season. Dangle Leaf is a method for finding PE larvae as autumn merges into winter. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">In brief, during early to mid- autumn, larvae assiduously silk their feeding leaf stems on to branches, before wandering off to find somewhere to hibernate. The petiole join then breaks, only for the leaves to remain attached <u>for a while</u> by silk, dangling or even spinning madly. These dangles are diagnostic of <i>iris</i>, no other insect does this. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">In wet and winter autumns the dangles quickly fall off, especially on larger leaved sallows and along windward edges. Dangle Leaf is therefore about as reliable as Floo Powder in <i>Harry Potter </i>or the Rhythm Method in family planning - but it is quick, picks up larvae just above normal ground-searching level, and can be hugely effective. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This is Dangle Leaf - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLiSaZTMdg765ObtQliVHYPYwnG97_jNRXNpf1usSAF5KwqCjW_HhU0WJ33CT6XXFvQgVYfBhT3LGdMbpA55mk5xeS81KH2xToi1_MFcWtEPumzgOPQxKDU8fpgN5zbcz69Ojp7-We39dtvIXqmbe_npxcVhUd786IX0LcTJH8YKKADLjIq3I24DgA8Qc/s4000/PE%20L%20in%20H%20-%20grey%20on%20dead%20stem%20+%20DLs.%20A4NE%202%20'Kant'%203%2018.11.21.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLiSaZTMdg765ObtQliVHYPYwnG97_jNRXNpf1usSAF5KwqCjW_HhU0WJ33CT6XXFvQgVYfBhT3LGdMbpA55mk5xeS81KH2xToi1_MFcWtEPumzgOPQxKDU8fpgN5zbcz69Ojp7-We39dtvIXqmbe_npxcVhUd786IX0LcTJH8YKKADLjIq3I24DgA8Qc/w553-h349/PE%20L%20in%20H%20-%20grey%20on%20dead%20stem%20+%20DLs.%20A4NE%202%20'Kant'%203%2018.11.21.JPG" width="553" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Those two leaves are attached by silk strands, the hibernating caterpillar is directly above (though most larvae wander further away, and can be found as far off as 3m from their abandoned feeding station). </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The 2023 Dangle Leaf season is running a little late, as most sallow bushes have remained green in the absence of frost (this is a very mild, if horribly wet autumn). But it is kicking off now. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Weather permitting, the Dangle Leaf season should last from mid-November to the start of December, possibly beyond.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Give it a go, it's insane...</span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-17347146691461853612023-09-14T02:17:00.009-07:002023-09-14T02:19:45.220-07:00Egg Lay & Willow Rust: Important News<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I'd anticipated that autumn larvae would be fairly numerous this year, but it looks as though I was wrong, again. Badly. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Initial searches suggest that the egg lay was low. Certainly, larvae are hard to find, if not very hard. It's relatively early days though, as I've been doing other things, but the signs are ominous.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">It now seems that the females hadn't got into the swing of laying before the weather deteriorated in early July and, critically, that many of them were blasted away by the St Swithun's Day gale - before they'd laid many eggs...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Worse, far worse: the broader-leaved sallows in some districts have been severely affected by <i>Melampsora </i>Willow Rust. I've been aware of this rust since 1977 but it's never been too much of a problem, swelling up in wet midsummers, but abating before autumn. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This year, it's rendered most of the broader-leaved sallows in my home patch (Cirencester Park Woods) wholly unsuitable: many sallows there had dropped most of their leaves before the end of August, others were covered in golden leaves that are destined to drop early. I haven't found a single larva of any Lepidopteron or sawfly species on infected sallows. Here's what to look for:</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Early Stage Infection -</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dxaKMZuWBsZRl25KhsjbDl7D1PUcaPA9bLMDGuLlKvYgwGNDBbPCywySkkCxCiAhguDGm6-DBswCb5jgbF1eUNEQ5sZUnNBcq3WsmBK_I9EKykivFViNMsw9AMZ1I-OQXG36q8OVNtDZHnWz9u2ZYTr5GBAzcGPsXsl5T4Wa3lm3FrqgIL7bc6bD1HI/s4000/Sallow%20foliage%20+%20Melampsora%20rust%20infection%20Hailey%20Wd%2013.8.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4dxaKMZuWBsZRl25KhsjbDl7D1PUcaPA9bLMDGuLlKvYgwGNDBbPCywySkkCxCiAhguDGm6-DBswCb5jgbF1eUNEQ5sZUnNBcq3WsmBK_I9EKykivFViNMsw9AMZ1I-OQXG36q8OVNtDZHnWz9u2ZYTr5GBAzcGPsXsl5T4Wa3lm3FrqgIL7bc6bD1HI/s320/Sallow%20foliage%20+%20Melampsora%20rust%20infection%20Hailey%20Wd%2013.8.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Then it gets Serious - </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUiceP5scCp33VBYWlkWf4hjaKb63z8vQd6I4svMc6iuUDRFpL-SWn2CJGzXFGxX1RISF5ctrMch3BOVGL01jyYY40JAgmV9cfET3l_jXs1yL9SRh6LbcoBU63ZZfD7YGsQDL4mXlmczc-nHP6jiJPowrfrweJHpGD0p3L3hfGRxQIzacKLd6hlI5_pc/s4000/Sallow%20foliage%20+%20Willow%20Rust%20Melampsora%20%20Oakley%20Wd%20NW%20%2021.8.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUiceP5scCp33VBYWlkWf4hjaKb63z8vQd6I4svMc6iuUDRFpL-SWn2CJGzXFGxX1RISF5ctrMch3BOVGL01jyYY40JAgmV9cfET3l_jXs1yL9SRh6LbcoBU63ZZfD7YGsQDL4mXlmczc-nHP6jiJPowrfrweJHpGD0p3L3hfGRxQIzacKLd6hlI5_pc/s320/Sallow%20foliage%20+%20Willow%20Rust%20Melampsora%20%20Oakley%20Wd%20NW%20%2021.8.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"> Then this happens -</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TUqqjyardWKFej2a1RYTItrmeAL9hECsAI9RuqDePC0n6AIDXKFPFM4AlW3SEsbTDzuIqAzl7nz0uKGkFPMUbT7G1CND5Il4RE0RFHj57BKhZekocfd7hzjAzHAe16wKXmTAAd57ADsLh2C9eFy4gvwfEBE5cwq611BMUzwJcjUWgWMC8oV0oFr5ibo/s4000/Sallow%20in%20early%20senescence%20due%20to%20Willow%20Rust%20%20Oakley%20Wd%20NW%20%2021.8.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TUqqjyardWKFej2a1RYTItrmeAL9hECsAI9RuqDePC0n6AIDXKFPFM4AlW3SEsbTDzuIqAzl7nz0uKGkFPMUbT7G1CND5Il4RE0RFHj57BKhZekocfd7hzjAzHAe16wKXmTAAd57ADsLh2C9eFy4gvwfEBE5cwq611BMUzwJcjUWgWMC8oV0oFr5ibo/s320/Sallow%20in%20early%20senescence%20due%20to%20Willow%20Rust%20%20Oakley%20Wd%20NW%20%2021.8.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">That photo was taken on August 21st! It shows some resprouting, from a largely senescent sallow. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Here's a leaf underside close up - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgye2Tj0FODvkGVaflJte4lwivRcfm9AbjTJMq60XNmlSOVLU7jnXLYakHVTDZHXZD-9Nf1LQ3rYnlQ5ml271fpQqFQdnmXruKXWa8OmF9zf-A-aSU3KLPLky_t7lL3lNeZcdABx35ZIa0I6VJ390ZGPIUfmmuK9FGWPV3xm0H88Yi5-LxQ1M2FkyyD2ss/s4000/Willow%20Rust%20on%20b-l%20sallow%20leaf%20underside%20%20Our%20Garden%20%205.9.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgye2Tj0FODvkGVaflJte4lwivRcfm9AbjTJMq60XNmlSOVLU7jnXLYakHVTDZHXZD-9Nf1LQ3rYnlQ5ml271fpQqFQdnmXruKXWa8OmF9zf-A-aSU3KLPLky_t7lL3lNeZcdABx35ZIa0I6VJ390ZGPIUfmmuK9FGWPV3xm0H88Yi5-LxQ1M2FkyyD2ss/s320/Willow%20Rust%20on%20b-l%20sallow%20leaf%20underside%20%20Our%20Garden%20%205.9.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">All the broader-leaved sallows, plus the poplars and aspens in the Cotswold Water Park (another study site) are severely affected, but Savernake Forest and Bentley Wood (both recently visited) seem OK. The pox seems to start at Junction 15 of the M4 (Swindon East). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Crucially, narrow-leaved sallows (<i>Salix atrocinerea</i> & </span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><i>S. cinerea</i></span><span style="color: #ff00fe;"> types / hybrids) seem far less affected. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;">PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU COME ACROSS OUTBREAKS OF WILLOW RUST. </span><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">We need to gather evidence (I'm liaising with Forest Research's Tree Health Dept. at Alice Holt Forest). Email me on matthew@matthew-oates.co.uk </span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-68102235309310454972023-08-18T01:38:00.001-07:002023-08-18T01:38:15.290-07:00Final sighting<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The last Purple Emperor of 2023 was a female seen in Ruislip Woods on August 3rd. This means that there were only three sightings in August: this one, and my two sightings in Savernake Forest on August 1st. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Perhaps the key point about the 2023 Purple Emperor season is that it arrived earlier than anyone anticipated and caught us with our trousers down... By the time many observers had realised that the butterfly was in fact well out, the weather was deteriorating. The St Swithun's Day gale effectively ended the season at many sites.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Numbers were excellent, if not superb, in central southern England - even in places where sallows were severely affected by drought in July and August 2022, and shed many leaves. This suggests that the Emperor may be becoming drought proof, like the White Admiral.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Elsewhere, numbers were at best modest - but many recorders got out rather too late in the flight season, and the butterfly may have been under-recorded.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Here's the pupal case of a female, who hatched out circa June 30th, in Cirencester Park Woods, Glos, taken on August 14th. The cases can persist for weeks, or months. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TgZo3oYc01BdKQJYyRAZZL2t-2PAg87Zmt86PrbNpZWoVflFMRA9_uhaPVrIvGowdojBCnSCUsdsPaGQsnmhqVGAljY6660koH2CPCVOeJxW14g2ktNKibP_v1DqtzwNmj3nf0e8UBSyGHsrTDklzhu1G5OIrXuJxHjMKJnvwwre1sRXBQP--RLyiEo/s4000/PE%20pupal%20Case%20Hailey%20Wd%20PE%20L%20No%201%2013.8.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TgZo3oYc01BdKQJYyRAZZL2t-2PAg87Zmt86PrbNpZWoVflFMRA9_uhaPVrIvGowdojBCnSCUsdsPaGQsnmhqVGAljY6660koH2CPCVOeJxW14g2ktNKibP_v1DqtzwNmj3nf0e8UBSyGHsrTDklzhu1G5OIrXuJxHjMKJnvwwre1sRXBQP--RLyiEo/s320/PE%20pupal%20Case%20Hailey%20Wd%20PE%20L%20No%201%2013.8.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br />The long journey into the 2024 Purple Emperor season has started. I'm beginning to look for larvae. Watch this space...</span><p></p><p><br /></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-8307175486580890432023-08-02T01:13:00.000-07:002023-08-02T01:13:01.802-07:00Tues August 1st: The End...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Just two octogenarian males left in Savernake, on their final hours. They'd all but run out of fight. One was so tired he failed to rise to a Honey Buzzard flying just over the treetops. Here he is - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mFQVgEOUDVmzHTwJxQgf6nqOJavDtDiQaRztvz5Nhn3S40Azfe32im1D3PeiVlrm6Demhjm1dGAMtQhzZ45hsdVbIgOqajZjtAPv18fBD5pz5_o1KeStKOTjlVWuG8haURQx7me3eoDt46ocm_Y2x-3PM3smHabfY1eI1x4mhlg-IANGYkTaMd_UDIQ/s4000/PE%20m%20torn%20on%20T%20DBG%20Savernake%2028.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mFQVgEOUDVmzHTwJxQgf6nqOJavDtDiQaRztvz5Nhn3S40Azfe32im1D3PeiVlrm6Demhjm1dGAMtQhzZ45hsdVbIgOqajZjtAPv18fBD5pz5_o1KeStKOTjlVWuG8haURQx7me3eoDt46ocm_Y2x-3PM3smHabfY1eI1x4mhlg-IANGYkTaMd_UDIQ/s320/PE%20m%20torn%20on%20T%20DBG%20Savernake%2028.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The journey towards the 2024 Purple Emperor season has already begun... The end is where we start, to reach an end is to make a beginning...</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-82680216319726312482023-07-30T02:10:00.000-07:002023-07-30T02:10:05.561-07:00Sat July 29th: Still Going...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I returned to Savernake today, and managed to see 8 more males. It was sunnier but much windier, which meant that territories on higher ground were scarcely occupied. I found two new territories on lower ground, one which held two sparring males. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This might be my last Emperor of 2023 -</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGuyYhyeoG-wIehbB2x6QdpKSmkLi6t-tagHNTel-a6GVVuLx1bY73LbkLRbMOpwIvs478hHZ54tG8E0MPTnp8v0wbrtsruMrjiqALmm2tu6NJqiX60XCBxpkYNZ51LmzeaJi3ZVHA1WgO0tHQfA6U49IDtY3Af1FY4fx_cxQQJ-ebwSuO8_EytoKldc/s3804/PE%20m%20v%20old%20Birch%20Copse%20Gate%20Sav%2029.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2821" data-original-width="3804" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGuyYhyeoG-wIehbB2x6QdpKSmkLi6t-tagHNTel-a6GVVuLx1bY73LbkLRbMOpwIvs478hHZ54tG8E0MPTnp8v0wbrtsruMrjiqALmm2tu6NJqiX60XCBxpkYNZ51LmzeaJi3ZVHA1WgO0tHQfA6U49IDtY3Af1FY4fx_cxQQJ-ebwSuO8_EytoKldc/s320/PE%20m%20v%20old%20Birch%20Copse%20Gate%20Sav%2029.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><i>'In my end is my beginning...'</i></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">They are still going at Knepp, just. 4 were seen there yesterday, after a gap of several days.</span></p><p> </p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-32679969492144654072023-07-28T13:16:00.000-07:002023-07-28T13:16:53.453-07:00Fri July 28th: Still Partying in Savernake...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">A cloud-spoiled afternoon along Three Oak Hills Drive in Savernake Forest gave sightings of 9-10 males in four known territories. All bar one were torn and worn. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Ten minutes of sun at The Dead Beech Glade produced a squabble of three males, and I also saw three in a vista at another territory further on from The Column.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Incredibly, two perched 1m apart. Here's the pic, taken from some distance below (Sav's Beeches are 90-120' tall). Spot the Emperors -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJKSWj-xQGhfGK4dQkA-7N8-sUv9lnTr7eiR94f9qZC0regrMeNPyUWC8tCNhEDU-2Hid1COImsjn6lM9X1QwsLKo_4oRqUNwXJTwjMH7dFGZzHELmjCzpGjQzBh3bvmegezExwUmrVT8f4XbLlkCmLJvKV6fqaB5j4TxDXHl6iVH-mz0P_ej8i3Eqh0/s3734/PE%202%20mm%20perched%201m%20apart%20LHD%20Savernake%2028.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2801" data-original-width="3734" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJKSWj-xQGhfGK4dQkA-7N8-sUv9lnTr7eiR94f9qZC0regrMeNPyUWC8tCNhEDU-2Hid1COImsjn6lM9X1QwsLKo_4oRqUNwXJTwjMH7dFGZzHELmjCzpGjQzBh3bvmegezExwUmrVT8f4XbLlkCmLJvKV6fqaB5j4TxDXHl6iVH-mz0P_ej8i3Eqh0/s320/PE%202%20mm%20perched%201m%20apart%20LHD%20Savernake%2028.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">And here's a lone male perching - </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzJ2KCpzM5G6Brw_WF7IMiJ-1855yhd5LKXscAvRJa7iwM5f0YzQvQPKlDe798xBB7UKBeCFfpoJT0i_8F2MRIxEVfzAAXF80uEbaKWAAmCqUx_ZANc5jGSBMWtZ9j94jbL00o4sbyy_-0QVpigo7mNRAxDaw9Tc7Z5uG6wt8u8egUayLgsajevwqgzo/s4000/PE%20m%20torn%20on%20T%20DBG%20Savernake%2028.7.23%20%20qg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzJ2KCpzM5G6Brw_WF7IMiJ-1855yhd5LKXscAvRJa7iwM5f0YzQvQPKlDe798xBB7UKBeCFfpoJT0i_8F2MRIxEVfzAAXF80uEbaKWAAmCqUx_ZANc5jGSBMWtZ9j94jbL00o4sbyy_-0QVpigo7mNRAxDaw9Tc7Z5uG6wt8u8egUayLgsajevwqgzo/s320/PE%20m%20torn%20on%20T%20DBG%20Savernake%2028.7.23%20%20qg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">As usual, none was seen in The Column glade, which is only a secondary territory. Yes, that's where everyone goes to see <i>iris </i>in Savernake, and they occasionally do quite well there, but they walk past the best primary territory - the Dead Beech Glade at W3W gold.subtitle.applies - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LFMaskUwEBxXHTzvrTBT9fROzGnI8h3DgDWppS1s_mG5JsCYHST79trX9eRlUSgTJ7DjoD0Hl36WUtvQIvKurcIGREIb2VX6v1kyfL_Zk1rwZixUeSZCSE95pfOjdboVcXRGthioYUC3ubfgOw15jzFAmPOwhHDj378B-q8dwRwQtMFlIDZfMiHMjYY/s4000/Dead%20Beech%20Glade%20Savernake%20%2028.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7LFMaskUwEBxXHTzvrTBT9fROzGnI8h3DgDWppS1s_mG5JsCYHST79trX9eRlUSgTJ7DjoD0Hl36WUtvQIvKurcIGREIb2VX6v1kyfL_Zk1rwZixUeSZCSE95pfOjdboVcXRGthioYUC3ubfgOw15jzFAmPOwhHDj378B-q8dwRwQtMFlIDZfMiHMjYY/s320/Dead%20Beech%20Glade%20Savernake%20%2028.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Depending on the weather, there's a few days left in Savernake... </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">PE seems to be over now at Knepp - no sightings there since Tuesday 25th.</span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-90898133493474031142023-07-24T12:17:00.002-07:002023-07-24T12:17:26.488-07:00Mon July 24th: Final Sightings...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The Emperor season was hit by another bout of rain on Sat 22nd. I managed to see an OAP male over one of the favoured feeder tree oaks at Knepp an hour before the rain began. Red Admirals were feeding on the sap bleeds there. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The Red Ad is, of course, staging a mighty bold bid to win Butterfly of the Year - and with a homegrown autumn brood to come...</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISIHtsHlOsl5he-Fl-5ELOR0rW3ksSZREBFbHC0GbMWearpnlCEDaTaKsw66G-M-vuMjpYp6TXjeSRNh9rSDBaBnxa-ncGk-ijva6sT0APJkhjt9KeN5NbkAupAjjKxXgGgDL7sRoWfrqSJxOjwYVaZSk9m4fTgzVKYrPcZYX0rEfwTq2cO5B5t8eIkI/s4000/RA%20upps%20pristine%20basking%20on%20fence%20post%20%20Green%20Lane%20N%20End%20Knepp%20%2022.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISIHtsHlOsl5he-Fl-5ELOR0rW3ksSZREBFbHC0GbMWearpnlCEDaTaKsw66G-M-vuMjpYp6TXjeSRNh9rSDBaBnxa-ncGk-ijva6sT0APJkhjt9KeN5NbkAupAjjKxXgGgDL7sRoWfrqSJxOjwYVaZSk9m4fTgzVKYrPcZYX0rEfwTq2cO5B5t8eIkI/s320/RA%20upps%20pristine%20basking%20on%20fence%20post%20%20Green%20Lane%20N%20End%20Knepp%20%2022.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Oddly, I spotted a male Brown Hairstreak perched on one of the favoured male perching sprays as steady rain arrived.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Since then, there have been single sightings at Knepp on Sun 23rd and Mon 24th, a sighting of a female in Bernwood Forest on Sun 23rd, and sightings on Billa Barra Hill in Leicestershire on Sun 23rd and Mon 24th. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The race is on for the last <i>iris </i>of the Great 2023 Season (which wasn't great in East of England region, but was just about everywhere else, and was stupendous in Central Southern England). </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This Blog, of course, carries on all year round, covering adventures with the immature stages...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">An unusually large number of eggs should have been laid this season, and larvae should be relatively numerous this late summer and autumn. Therefore, this is the year in which to look for new populations by searching for the immature stages. Herefordshire, here I come... ... ...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p> </p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-4208052243888477622023-07-21T12:44:00.001-07:002023-07-21T12:44:43.600-07:00Fri July 21st: Herself<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">It clouded up at 1pm today, just after PEs had become active (late in their season they take the mornings off...). By 2pm it was very dull, by 3pm all species were grounded.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I watched a middle-aged female feed for nearly an hour on an oak sap bleed (the Hornets had stopped flying, too cool for them). Here she is -</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbqfe2ZDWv1kAlpRE0zsosaW6-LxIIUAKdFRlzeLrSoyojPnrv0cq_El5J5P81fGGUYAiSO91mHwsEAIWLIrax3MGsU3JemhBkudd0wdU8YSkaOQNegLDYm92EB6Yab1CV4RJFCjTEKO7UxrjN4Hidt5cfmxc7VSwJbl9Roor0D0AE9pK3h8OQ7tw7wQ/s4000/PE%20f%20und%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20Bse9-10%20Hat%20band%20Tree%20Knepp%20%2021.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbqfe2ZDWv1kAlpRE0zsosaW6-LxIIUAKdFRlzeLrSoyojPnrv0cq_El5J5P81fGGUYAiSO91mHwsEAIWLIrax3MGsU3JemhBkudd0wdU8YSkaOQNegLDYm92EB6Yab1CV4RJFCjTEKO7UxrjN4Hidt5cfmxc7VSwJbl9Roor0D0AE9pK3h8OQ7tw7wQ/s320/PE%20f%20und%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20Bse9-10%20Hat%20band%20Tree%20Knepp%20%2021.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">She then fell off, before flying off upside down, careering across the glade and crashing onto a bramble patch, pissed. Her she is -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRY6-qG6FDvfcZMMsgYAMRUzkFuKxaPATzSKwmxPXeqBZ4rbQQg063ykPwCuDrSC_5AGEiV2b961NcnuS8rp12bFsNcLYMh_oyn0EpDARtQR8vXMjDI_daETCokt46_vlwUAftHbHxeKZk30sDZv6PQg3-VnOxC7JZEQUnGlKPv2D7fg7_W1wAafuqoo/s3700/PE%20f%20ma%20%20upps%20on%20bramble%20nr%20Hat%20Band%20Tree%20Bhse%209%20Knepp%2021.7.23%20%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="3700" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRY6-qG6FDvfcZMMsgYAMRUzkFuKxaPATzSKwmxPXeqBZ4rbQQg063ykPwCuDrSC_5AGEiV2b961NcnuS8rp12bFsNcLYMh_oyn0EpDARtQR8vXMjDI_daETCokt46_vlwUAftHbHxeKZk30sDZv6PQg3-VnOxC7JZEQUnGlKPv2D7fg7_W1wAafuqoo/s320/PE%20f%20ma%20%20upps%20on%20bramble%20nr%20Hat%20Band%20Tree%20Bhse%209%20Knepp%2021.7.23%20%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The forecast foul & abusive weather will end this season, ridiculously early (but sooner rather than later the Purple Emperor season will start in May)...</span><p></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-83314771116703910572023-07-20T12:40:00.001-07:002023-07-20T12:40:27.050-07:00Thurs July 20th: Final Hours at Knepp<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I struggled to see 5 PEs at Knepp this afternoon, though it was rather too cloudy: one male in reasonable condition, two geriatric males and two females, one very much in her final hours. Here she is - </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrMakkvCPSN4efoboK1RaY66NlO_9MwYFHAkrRyeEjMEtD4deNQahBMY4cS8GrsgqVhgURi-Fh3fOQQsO9vOcq12Fo9HGPyXZTbun5sPN5TdOFiNK_igaosBl0F1mocxwAKGc-hRxtLrOb3HYViwMNXJbtXScGV5nyi6kb_jgpsyChafX0CaJFPXAm50/s4000/PE%20f%20old%20&%20ragged%20%20N%20Gate%20SE%20Oak%20Knepp%2020.7.23%20-%20Copy%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrMakkvCPSN4efoboK1RaY66NlO_9MwYFHAkrRyeEjMEtD4deNQahBMY4cS8GrsgqVhgURi-Fh3fOQQsO9vOcq12Fo9HGPyXZTbun5sPN5TdOFiNK_igaosBl0F1mocxwAKGc-hRxtLrOb3HYViwMNXJbtXScGV5nyi6kb_jgpsyChafX0CaJFPXAm50/s320/PE%20f%20old%20&%20ragged%20%20N%20Gate%20SE%20Oak%20Knepp%2020.7.23%20-%20Copy%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br />I may not see any tomorrow...</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">What do you do when the party's over?</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Find another party, and the Brown Hairstreak is just starting. Here's Knepp's first of the year, a male high up on Field Maple, this morning -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSELCjxJt8kLMT6EcXCxY-jb4O5NtnSGEKOMCZRDbG2vl_BwJo0xBlRUcReUz9tMYwg7sm_Kqj_WilscQ7IlHIeVvX6vmz-Vc7UUZg-7N6-WXTUk0bggBBTOhU2EkmCl6maQkqxPVJhpdLkGv-u0Tw0xPBSyiVQxgqOPYXRfgSZGBoD9IoXEhdn3OVYSA/s4000/BH%20m%20V%201st%20of%20year%20Crabtree%20mid%20W%20%20Knepp%2020.7.23%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSELCjxJt8kLMT6EcXCxY-jb4O5NtnSGEKOMCZRDbG2vl_BwJo0xBlRUcReUz9tMYwg7sm_Kqj_WilscQ7IlHIeVvX6vmz-Vc7UUZg-7N6-WXTUk0bggBBTOhU2EkmCl6maQkqxPVJhpdLkGv-u0Tw0xPBSyiVQxgqOPYXRfgSZGBoD9IoXEhdn3OVYSA/s320/BH%20m%20V%201st%20of%20year%20Crabtree%20mid%20W%20%20Knepp%2020.7.23%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-16568320847247257812023-07-19T12:24:00.004-07:002023-07-19T12:24:55.093-07:00Wed July 19th: Slip-sliding Away...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The Purple Emperor season at Knepp, W Sussex, continues to slip slowly away, though there is still a few fresh-looking females around, and even the odd male, but they have become highly localised and intermittent in appearance. Here's one of today's males, active on the feeder tree oak in the SE corner of Bentons Gorse (for those of you who know the place) -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VSIjXDdNyPZJwW__ZJ7JneeMQW0SViIxqvE1rQbkedKpsuLQBF9uSoelhfIk33uQl4rQk3NRxV0GRuEuNaphkDBaL318cTlN5U0EMjOa7IosMt87HcqwGxkR6FYNQSFP9m-Q5Lg00yR9LYWUzOiYQnRCcWGl9CHUQ57dvm2DhkWHvY-2Zi2QptCSmqE/s4000/PE%20m%20MA%20on%20dead%20branch%20Patricks%20Tree%20Knepp%2019.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VSIjXDdNyPZJwW__ZJ7JneeMQW0SViIxqvE1rQbkedKpsuLQBF9uSoelhfIk33uQl4rQk3NRxV0GRuEuNaphkDBaL318cTlN5U0EMjOa7IosMt87HcqwGxkR6FYNQSFP9m-Q5Lg00yR9LYWUzOiYQnRCcWGl9CHUQ57dvm2DhkWHvY-2Zi2QptCSmqE/s320/PE%20m%20MA%20on%20dead%20branch%20Patricks%20Tree%20Knepp%2019.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The BC Glos branch butterfly WhatsApp group today featured a photo of a freshly-emerged female being courted by a middle-aged male - in my home parish! The season is still going strong there...</span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-75651602870893117212023-07-18T12:00:00.002-07:002023-07-18T12:00:51.944-07:00Tues July 18th: Season Ending at Knepp...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">As I feared yesterday, the 2023 PE season is ending rapidly at Knepp. It also sounds as though they're going over fast in Alice Holt Forest too, and probably elsewhere in central southern England.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Last weekend's gale was too much for them, and for the midsummer Hairstreaks... They roost in the canopy, not on trunks and limbs - and get shredded.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I struggled to see 24 at Knepp today, which sounds a lot but isn't considering how big the population is and also that I know exactly where to look (where the male territories and sap run trees are). </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Just 8 were seen on the PE transect, down from 30 last Thursday.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The males now look like this -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6QwsozXWnq5B1DEeNXJ5-FsM80WLVn9cS3lJ7cEuBxv1r0tgytd-3GcYWd1TldNwNRHzygvITD2HFi0CAMNO1GgA_rK9UyfTS87ImCwUSbrf0EIckeY8YNRhoDXvaVXw8SZ0qRPnypDmO1yb-3usBpyyOHKFjDA6w1X8yIg1ZGPrLKxpeY7gmByYOFI/s4000/PE%20m%20v%20old%20on%20T%20U%20Bend%20S%20T%20%20Knepp%2018.7.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6QwsozXWnq5B1DEeNXJ5-FsM80WLVn9cS3lJ7cEuBxv1r0tgytd-3GcYWd1TldNwNRHzygvITD2HFi0CAMNO1GgA_rK9UyfTS87ImCwUSbrf0EIckeY8YNRhoDXvaVXw8SZ0qRPnypDmO1yb-3usBpyyOHKFjDA6w1X8yIg1ZGPrLKxpeY7gmByYOFI/s320/PE%20m%20v%20old%20on%20T%20U%20Bend%20S%20T%20%20Knepp%2018.7.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Today's photo, of a very old and lethargic male down Green Lane. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Most females are equally worn and torn, though I was pleased to see these two middle aged girls sapping together today -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjge-YXy1-6FRpOckEDHKOCUBlcWGuRJOATuzmKiYe1b0eGseBZBu-CF4AYy7ojfKKoWk7sx8Eu-AzPtkzqBqwwXUVyZXF1VZU_RDdxPu-SLGRXdCumIAbfDWW9Ox7-xNfTXrFUVmhGsg-oMJOiY2PlIQ-BlgZ1yIPO8eahKEEihHlWvcKZEYrm-LB1MF0/s3686/PE%20f%20x2%20feeding%20on%20Bkhse%209&10%20tree%20Knepp%2018.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2890" data-original-width="3686" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjge-YXy1-6FRpOckEDHKOCUBlcWGuRJOATuzmKiYe1b0eGseBZBu-CF4AYy7ojfKKoWk7sx8Eu-AzPtkzqBqwwXUVyZXF1VZU_RDdxPu-SLGRXdCumIAbfDWW9Ox7-xNfTXrFUVmhGsg-oMJOiY2PlIQ-BlgZ1yIPO8eahKEEihHlWvcKZEYrm-LB1MF0/s320/PE%20f%20x2%20feeding%20on%20Bkhse%209&10%20tree%20Knepp%2018.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Of course, it ended in handbags...</span><p></p><p> </p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-55533859726362820132023-07-17T13:11:00.006-07:002023-07-17T13:13:11.352-07:00Mon July 17th: Counting Survivors...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Back at Knepp today. It was rather too windy (yet again!) but I managed to walk the PE transect. This totalled only 10 (including 3 females), down from 30 in less than ideal weather last Thursday. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Allowing for the wind, this suggests that numbers may be down by 50% since just before the St Swithun's Day gale... </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">But I'll find out tomorrow, when I'll have another, proper stab at the transect - it's supposed to be sunny, with only a light wind... ... ...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Males weren't holding territory before 2.30, probably because they were busy feeding up.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">All told, I saw 20 PE today, most of them females. The majority were feeding up on oak sap and were torn and worn. None was in good condition - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7AP2svl2HkfYJVzp9EIswCqa4qUciLn8GsJzEVbo3rQFOYWuu0dJBrln8d8T9xWN4n8k4y0fi5t9omzRdrKwYS4xjwgJKfkzEZSOSfowHiMv6pxfYTVtrECPWX8WF-zDJJsQuvWfdVEGUrnpqwDwrn3uGyIHW25ZaV4Jn9GTmBTTCO7qB4l2twmrsqo/s4000/PE%20f%20v%20torn%20on%20sap%20run%20Burrells%20Bane%20Knepp%2017.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7AP2svl2HkfYJVzp9EIswCqa4qUciLn8GsJzEVbo3rQFOYWuu0dJBrln8d8T9xWN4n8k4y0fi5t9omzRdrKwYS4xjwgJKfkzEZSOSfowHiMv6pxfYTVtrECPWX8WF-zDJJsQuvWfdVEGUrnpqwDwrn3uGyIHW25ZaV4Jn9GTmBTTCO7qB4l2twmrsqo/s320/PE%20f%20v%20torn%20on%20sap%20run%20Burrells%20Bane%20Knepp%2017.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">You might think that PEs would have the sense to roost out gales on the sheltered side of branches and trunks, but most try to roost in the oak sprays - and get shredded. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: x-large;">My feeling, and I'll confirm tomorrow, is that there may well be less than a week of the season left at Knepp. Don't travel far to visit Knepp for PEs, you're too late: come next year instead.</span></p><p> </p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-27017924076266691822023-07-16T11:37:00.000-07:002023-07-16T11:37:03.048-07:00Sun July 16th: Vile Again...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Another rubbish day in the western fringes of the Empire, though the wind died down to Moderate strength. I'm heading back to Knepp tomorrow, where the weather's better.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Great to see a male high up over a veteran oak<i> </i>along the lane through Flisteridge Wood in the Forest of Braydon in NW Wilts, just before the sun was lost. This is the first record for this wood, though another was seen recently in another of the Braydon woods, Webbs Wood (where I've previously found the odd larva). It's so hard to turn up small colonies...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The big news from today is that <i>iris </i>has at last been found in Wyre Forest, on the Worcs-Salop border - one male, found dead in a conservatory. This is the first record from Wyre, ever. It's by no means the first record of an Emperor being found dead in a conservatory. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Doubtless some bright spark will say this was an introduction. Yesterday I received a didactic Tweet stating that all the Norfolk records result from introductions. Sorry, but I don't believe that, and would like to see the evidence... This butterfly is not that easy to breed, especially in the numbers necessary to establish a colony. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Finally, here's a photo of <i>iris </i>feeding on banana skins, in the ecology students' compound at Knepp. This is only the second record I know of a Purple Emperor feeding on bananas, and like the first, it's a female -</span></p><p><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-JUK-Kp4XNQCbR4R--t2A9jk-HQbdpud0okq3TZMkk1yb3lLy0gqxvnc6GT-zjCX_xikVptku_CHYUjL6KfI2dY94EqLHo-1EThUtllD-KX0vMojg841Joa4SSm1RcJgCETEDjfQ4GhimYjmphY6gUddgA_m-_xcDbziBo6gzEi6tdMp0sTm6iDdo6U/s1600/PE%20f%20on%20banana%20skins%20%20OpWal%20%2016.7.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-JUK-Kp4XNQCbR4R--t2A9jk-HQbdpud0okq3TZMkk1yb3lLy0gqxvnc6GT-zjCX_xikVptku_CHYUjL6KfI2dY94EqLHo-1EThUtllD-KX0vMojg841Joa4SSm1RcJgCETEDjfQ4GhimYjmphY6gUddgA_m-_xcDbziBo6gzEi6tdMp0sTm6iDdo6U/w380-h382/PE%20f%20on%20banana%20skins%20%20OpWal%20%2016.7.23.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><p></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-35707354449489291982023-07-16T03:17:00.001-07:002023-07-16T03:17:08.030-07:00St Swithun's Day 2023<p> <span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This time last year our Purple Emperors were sweating out the beginnings of the record-breaking mid-July heatwave, which saw 40.3C on July 19th...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Yesterday, St Swithun's Day, they were forced to hunker down and sit out a fully-fledged autumnal gale...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">When the wind dies down, we will find out how well they have survived.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The survivors will be very hungry. Make for the sap run oaks...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUa_lTCcqEEvMy7wHmhKiNjvJz1adBAtoAeCmecVowKsoCkj1iGtCwpVCsiFb_ROoHIW9xumrNfh0ynuwa2U9bHjaA0Mrhx_lmVU85ROngFzq2Q5nL2oJb7x5p_mdtAVlzhJzlQcbnA7wpIc-UFIUGdmh_Nn94pSZP57lEJdcfZ0iT9t4srp35oqQFLRc/s4000/PE%20m%20und%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%209-10%20Knepp%20%2014.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUa_lTCcqEEvMy7wHmhKiNjvJz1adBAtoAeCmecVowKsoCkj1iGtCwpVCsiFb_ROoHIW9xumrNfh0ynuwa2U9bHjaA0Mrhx_lmVU85ROngFzq2Q5nL2oJb7x5p_mdtAVlzhJzlQcbnA7wpIc-UFIUGdmh_Nn94pSZP57lEJdcfZ0iT9t4srp35oqQFLRc/s320/PE%20m%20und%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%209-10%20Knepp%20%2014.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-21020134714975366012023-07-14T02:39:00.037-07:002023-07-16T03:07:51.376-07:00Purple Emperors on Oak Sap<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Emperors and Empresses feed, almost addictively, on small sugar-rich bleeds from distressed veteran oaks, especially during the second half of the flight season and in challenging weather conditions. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Heslop called favoured trees 'Feeder Trees'. Here's a good one, from Knepp (the left-hand tree) -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFmtEiVNZyWFkzfS5pNibWELVlqjwxPJfR0lA_zSclHzw82SyNrnaKFFh-BidiDR20-hDDErUQKjhoUOwipx0jlY-sLwYeGBx6GEPuJ79tvwkPybSL2Md4IFz4GzBJgO_dyrdxKk2Ubb539qQJGMwd9dBQzcFMDYt4N1b5wYoBPQAxs5zLJHSkQd9O_c/s4000/PE%20Feeder%20Tree%20Bhse%209-10%20%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFmtEiVNZyWFkzfS5pNibWELVlqjwxPJfR0lA_zSclHzw82SyNrnaKFFh-BidiDR20-hDDErUQKjhoUOwipx0jlY-sLwYeGBx6GEPuJ79tvwkPybSL2Md4IFz4GzBJgO_dyrdxKk2Ubb539qQJGMwd9dBQzcFMDYt4N1b5wYoBPQAxs5zLJHSkQd9O_c/s320/PE%20Feeder%20Tree%20Bhse%209-10%20%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The features are usually small whiteish bubbles of discharge, like this -</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1yFcUESo1lsoIG2rU-rwWhc0urmOJv9-ETTPesObtFsu272PADNDS7CrBMnzFlauJTI4mlYMXgcQHNJv2viHUGTPfTjOf-bgjP-ME4niRXrVJVhoGqznGontArkjkGeX-GkaIBEZcUnZdB0B37AJdl7COsw0y79GIW7ISXL7soMfDKZKxEqZQTN6zag/s4000/PE%20Oak%20sap%20bleed%20%20Green%20Lane%20S%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1yFcUESo1lsoIG2rU-rwWhc0urmOJv9-ETTPesObtFsu272PADNDS7CrBMnzFlauJTI4mlYMXgcQHNJv2viHUGTPfTjOf-bgjP-ME4niRXrVJVhoGqznGontArkjkGeX-GkaIBEZcUnZdB0B37AJdl7COsw0y79GIW7ISXL7soMfDKZKxEqZQTN6zag/s320/PE%20Oak%20sap%20bleed%20%20Green%20Lane%20S%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /> Rot hole discharge, like this, are also favoured, but are much rarer -</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YFAcmQf86uqDTAhTeUSI-KtYMQoViP4GGnXrGDSRZI_oeUnjoxo8N6zGwqEvRYuMrJZdQa4q3-0kEUW452gwZCTrxor0flOZZ956Rx-Yswy0rM2pi_51tsDs23moyvDu744XzWIMby2Umc65P_oZyxNB4JVYqBEVJCQ6XoE7RkIT_mK2WaEhHlMIDdY/s4000/PE%20Oak%20sap%20run%20%20Green%20Lane%20S%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YFAcmQf86uqDTAhTeUSI-KtYMQoViP4GGnXrGDSRZI_oeUnjoxo8N6zGwqEvRYuMrJZdQa4q3-0kEUW452gwZCTrxor0flOZZ956Rx-Yswy0rM2pi_51tsDs23moyvDu744XzWIMby2Umc65P_oZyxNB4JVYqBEVJCQ6XoE7RkIT_mK2WaEhHlMIDdY/s320/PE%20Oak%20sap%20run%20%20Green%20Lane%20S%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Big runs of 'black treacle' from wounded trees are exceptionally rare, and dry up quickly. Many formed after the great storms of 1987 and 1990, after trunks twisted and broke in strong winds. Oozes from Noctule bat roosts are also good. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Hornets, Red Admirals and Commas also visit these sap bleeds, along with a host of flies (</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;">hoverflies in particular). Watch for Hornet and Red Ad activity </span><i style="color: #ff00fe;">under </i><span style="color: #ff00fe;">the oak canopy, and watch them home in on the sap bleed. An Emperor or Empress may well be about...</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWufAS9lkEYM1fbZcu2AdIPTsFy7DZVPdGi6C_xcnKOQo2-0zguD8XYXm8hM2glYbcCXqS4kAN5qzibh4uc1v9zYzHPqbMyyFKHV9-F69On5_T_GywtiooMZYhJQE3YN8lLnjAu78KYoa6kASYZBJYgXHIlqb1yHElcjqncxNPVbAEhJRfqgQQlO77WhY/s4000/PE%20f%20und%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%2010-11%20%20Knepp%20%206.7.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWufAS9lkEYM1fbZcu2AdIPTsFy7DZVPdGi6C_xcnKOQo2-0zguD8XYXm8hM2glYbcCXqS4kAN5qzibh4uc1v9zYzHPqbMyyFKHV9-F69On5_T_GywtiooMZYhJQE3YN8lLnjAu78KYoa6kASYZBJYgXHIlqb1yHElcjqncxNPVbAEhJRfqgQQlO77WhY/s320/PE%20f%20und%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%2010-11%20%20Knepp%20%206.7.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, feeding on sap runs is a high risk strategy, as Hornets readily predate Emperors. This is what happened to a large Empress at Knepp, 14/7/23 - </span></span><div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic759QKcI52vjtMYlokjaGKgJpijSYTN648nHW2g6UhXnS4cc3ssv3nvG6RWohr4aE8dEwM2SRME4eWSPtzpPFpY17vpKsgrz1k6F9ruzPNgC4bIm604kMnFo_Qjm2uhqP2yYSHKeXRIq4NhUuDsLNC0y-Uc9TwB_CtDGWvx6Kt4FybcFmnlyRMvLgrTU/s4000/PE%20f%20predated%20prob%20by%20hornet%20%20U%20Bend%20S%20Knepp%20%2014.7.23%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic759QKcI52vjtMYlokjaGKgJpijSYTN648nHW2g6UhXnS4cc3ssv3nvG6RWohr4aE8dEwM2SRME4eWSPtzpPFpY17vpKsgrz1k6F9ruzPNgC4bIm604kMnFo_Qjm2uhqP2yYSHKeXRIq4NhUuDsLNC0y-Uc9TwB_CtDGWvx6Kt4FybcFmnlyRMvLgrTU/s320/PE%20f%20predated%20prob%20by%20hornet%20%20U%20Bend%20S%20Knepp%20%2014.7.23%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a modern problem. I lived in East Hampshire from the mid-70s into the early 90s, and never saw a Hornet - not even in the long hot summer of 1976: they were common in and around the New Forest only. They colonised Alice Holt Forest during the mid-1990s. Likewise, they were absent from the landscape around Knepp until the mid-90s. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also, Heslop (lead author of <i>Notes & Views of the Purple Emperor</i>, published 60 years ago) doesn't mention Hornets at all, despite working the Bentley Wood area (SE Wilts, close to the New Forest) and knowing the butterfly's fondness of oak sap.</span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Here's a Hornet on a sap bleed -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-KfaI_FC21vVo1RI-I9_mbDFLg2XaY4OdwO0LQ7IW1autgtq-_oyDt-tpj9BNiISrwld6fpKt3OIbD9MBBlWLKQzecsm7V0A771HE6Ay0GA_d3aw4OPg6sHfhqjSc8YBI_PokvyQdxWQ4nBpwoFtDoIsNX_uYLGBnGsTVMmceAQz4jiSsI4ywSzgjSM/s3581/Hornet%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhouse%2010-11%20Knepp%20%206.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2909" data-original-width="3581" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-KfaI_FC21vVo1RI-I9_mbDFLg2XaY4OdwO0LQ7IW1autgtq-_oyDt-tpj9BNiISrwld6fpKt3OIbD9MBBlWLKQzecsm7V0A771HE6Ay0GA_d3aw4OPg6sHfhqjSc8YBI_PokvyQdxWQ4nBpwoFtDoIsNX_uYLGBnGsTVMmceAQz4jiSsI4ywSzgjSM/s320/Hornet%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhouse%2010-11%20Knepp%20%206.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Here's a photo of happier moments, from 14/7/23 -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispa1QWcYsYNLRSeBQnNwL2_YJ0ZjLzj39AgYISHORL6x_f_ryuRYsm-MfTWhqXxRSpKAGKZvi2xSWb9grdT3s8Y0JDkLjpQC4INMLVvv1IzbOuD04BIN55EF_104JxkscFVXPhaacTjDW0LXALOqVFsSItESHrSdaa_3auBzDo9pVjLgA0jj49HdwJF4/s4000/PE%20m%20und%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%209-10%20Knepp%20%2014.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispa1QWcYsYNLRSeBQnNwL2_YJ0ZjLzj39AgYISHORL6x_f_ryuRYsm-MfTWhqXxRSpKAGKZvi2xSWb9grdT3s8Y0JDkLjpQC4INMLVvv1IzbOuD04BIN55EF_104JxkscFVXPhaacTjDW0LXALOqVFsSItESHrSdaa_3auBzDo9pVjLgA0jj49HdwJF4/s320/PE%20m%20und%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%209-10%20Knepp%20%2014.7.23%20VVG%20-%20Copy%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p></div></div>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-14015565141492572232023-07-14T01:29:00.002-07:002023-07-14T01:29:26.769-07:00Wind and Rain...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The jet stream has jumped south and is running right over the Empire, bringing wind, cloud and rain. Curse and crush it! This is an old-fashioned July...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">On Wednesday, I managed to see a male in my local wood back home in Glos, then two males sparring at what is at present the only known reliable male territory in the county (near Daneway Banks, of large blue fame).</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Back at Knepp on Thursday, in variable weather, I managed to see 58 Purple Emperors including 15 females. They were desperate to get going, and made the most of any sunny break. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">They were also very hungry and were sapping like mad, like these two females - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3DgLKDEKyN1b5Ha293vOx5EFALlNVkDhGg_44b_6vFuEwiWuiNWYvJoHH9d3-KRhhEqxSIYo_UnLy_VT6KUrf-0TyMyIhxTMjiSBxFf2e359Fd82NAQtmsKVV-WTvCcAyWWfB94ijSX-08iAXdq0yrZH08Ab8U9eF10QCkkaSFjLvBPVzKtfbbuUNP4/s3533/PE%202%20fems%20%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Burrells%20Bane%20%20Green%20Lane%20Knepp%20%2013.7.23%20%20Vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="3533" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3DgLKDEKyN1b5Ha293vOx5EFALlNVkDhGg_44b_6vFuEwiWuiNWYvJoHH9d3-KRhhEqxSIYo_UnLy_VT6KUrf-0TyMyIhxTMjiSBxFf2e359Fd82NAQtmsKVV-WTvCcAyWWfB94ijSX-08iAXdq0yrZH08Ab8U9eF10QCkkaSFjLvBPVzKtfbbuUNP4/s320/PE%202%20fems%20%20feeding%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Burrells%20Bane%20%20Green%20Lane%20Knepp%20%2013.7.23%20%20Vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">and this torn female - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCW16SSmTDx7F9NCJZ0ZM4Y1ESiRmoeGGBvWV5Cet1uD1YtAPUsJesHlo4rZBDO59dHpXjIK-mOjb7fRdfjsqbeyDzDWshGBH9NVjwv29kDei-oSLaqiySX45c9GNu2yESd_-BlrLnolYGXAywRJvHSZgt9NG9BXmd8t1FjRnOWiw5tzEX1jH7M-u_xWY/s4000/PE%20f%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bkhse%209-10%20%20Knepp%2013.7.23%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCW16SSmTDx7F9NCJZ0ZM4Y1ESiRmoeGGBvWV5Cet1uD1YtAPUsJesHlo4rZBDO59dHpXjIK-mOjb7fRdfjsqbeyDzDWshGBH9NVjwv29kDei-oSLaqiySX45c9GNu2yESd_-BlrLnolYGXAywRJvHSZgt9NG9BXmd8t1FjRnOWiw5tzEX1jH7M-u_xWY/s320/PE%20f%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bkhse%209-10%20%20Knepp%2013.7.23%20VG%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">They were getting pushed off the sap bleeds by Red Ads and Hornets. A good way to spot sap bleeds is to watch for Red Ads flying under the oak canopy, and Hornets. The Red Ad is making a big stab at winning Butterfly of the Year...</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I managed to cobble together the PE transect, for Week 4 of the season. This totalled 30, but I would have got >36 had the weather allowed. 30 is excellent for Week 4.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">They are ageing fast. No good specimens were seen, though some of the females were in reasonable condition. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The gale forecast for Saturday 15th (St Swithun's Day...) is likely to reduce Emperor numbers considerably. My guess is that the season at Knepp will end around July 25th, though it may persist a little longer at some of the 'later' sites. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Males have stopped coming down to feed on the rides, nationally, and are now stopping flying during the mornings. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Finally, great to hear Knepp's Purple Emperor safaris being lauded by Martha Kearney on Radio 4's <i>Today </i>programme this morning (6.55, 14th July). Knepp's been running them for ten glorious years... </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p> </p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-70760463820276572842023-07-11T01:12:00.000-07:002023-07-11T01:12:04.654-07:00News from the North<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Whereas the Purple Emperor has emerged in surprisingly good numbers down south, it seems to be having rather a shocker in the northern parts of its realm, and also in much of East of England region. It's hard to tell as smaller populations are difficult to monitor - away from central southern England, many populations are close to or below what IRP Heslop usefully termed our 'observation threshold'.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Confession: this is almost the opposite of what I thought would happen! I predicted, on this Blog, reduced numbers in the Southeast region, due to the impact of last summer's drought on sallows, eggs and young larvae, but a good year in the western and northern reaches of the Empire where there was a bit more rain last summer.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The Empire's western fringes seem fine; e.g. good numbers in Savernake Forest, despite the loss of rideside sallows. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">There also seems to be considerable disparity in the timing of the flight season. The season may only just be getting going in Notts - although the populations there may also have crashed. The first male was seen in Sherwood Forest only on Sunday July 9th, a pristine male.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Nationally, we are having a long spell of poor weather right now - cloud and wind associated with a slow-moving area of low pressure, making this an old-fashioned July. Canopy-dwelling butterflies are very hard to work in windy conditions, even when the sun appears. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">By the time the weather improves, it may be too late for many smaller populations... Hang on in there and use whatever sunshine we get well...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCgDL9Qbj4U06UOwt5r6Or5MlA8ZDVYereLUR6lImpniM3uF9-vouT__M3c3Pfrq4hk5Ynm0Zsfa7De_8ttieFTpWDFbyUO_l7_r3dN18JQWPQpK1tIq3bmEfIcIw10MCSzGHnjFzBs6GZ5EWH828M97_IS2HdY3vGq6NmrWIyS7mxfwAfeaOe0NfmOs/s4000/PE%20m%20on%20T%20Green%20Lane%20Knepp%20%207.7.23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCgDL9Qbj4U06UOwt5r6Or5MlA8ZDVYereLUR6lImpniM3uF9-vouT__M3c3Pfrq4hk5Ynm0Zsfa7De_8ttieFTpWDFbyUO_l7_r3dN18JQWPQpK1tIq3bmEfIcIw10MCSzGHnjFzBs6GZ5EWH828M97_IS2HdY3vGq6NmrWIyS7mxfwAfeaOe0NfmOs/s320/PE%20m%20on%20T%20Green%20Lane%20Knepp%20%207.7.23.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-81976351483314178052023-07-10T03:41:00.007-07:002023-07-10T03:47:16.375-07:00Doings: Sun July 9th <p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Rather too windy over much of the Empire. Yet another day for leeward edges, only.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Great to see a photo on Facebook of a pristine female taken at the London Wetland centre at Barnes on July 7th. I visited the Centre in 2017 and felt it was suitable then. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">This butterfly is Everywhere, albeit in low numbers: Look (up, leeward) and Thou Shalt Find... </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">A good count in Savernake Forest by Dave Law: 15 sightings along Three Oak Hills Drive including two groundings (suggesting it's still relatively early in the flight season there - Sav's a 'late' site), with six males active in the Dead Beech Glade (halfway up 3OHD on the E side, a much better site than The Column where everyone goes...). </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I saw five at a new site on the edge of Swindon-where-the-shadows-lie, then retired home to watch the glorious end of the Headingley Test Match...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">We're still getting rather mixed messages from Fermyn Woods, Northants, with many visitors being rather disappointed. Odd that no aberrations have been reported from there, in a midsummer in which a few 'Black Admirals' and aberrant Silver-washed Fritillaries are being seen, plus a nice aberrant Comma in the West Midlands yesterday. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">In fact, numbers seem rather disappointing north of the Thames generally, with the exception of the Oxfordshire / Bernwood area. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Low pressure is forecast for this week, which will make things difficult.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Finally, I'm pleasantly surprised by how few sallows died in last summers heatwaves and drought. Here's one from outside Knepp's main area -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmpRzsMYnStYZZKCsY-irFqEXDBAuYJ_Pf4oW4FivEbgl1XxGNUmfAmLT63ZSwJBK7GCF4pdV80a_IZ-tsY5EnP0vvDarICRW5C_nnsx8emD1uXkg6YuZZwbFYUzWrqrf8YxFH7YvoWrCcUbQvCDHXxtQuPuB_cD3uzmDyXPPjz6fFRVlXr9v6jHCUbk/s4000/Sallow%20killed%20by%20drought%20%20Whitehall%20Copse%20Knepp%20%202.7.23%20-%20Copy%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmpRzsMYnStYZZKCsY-irFqEXDBAuYJ_Pf4oW4FivEbgl1XxGNUmfAmLT63ZSwJBK7GCF4pdV80a_IZ-tsY5EnP0vvDarICRW5C_nnsx8emD1uXkg6YuZZwbFYUzWrqrf8YxFH7YvoWrCcUbQvCDHXxtQuPuB_cD3uzmDyXPPjz6fFRVlXr9v6jHCUbk/s320/Sallow%20killed%20by%20drought%20%20Whitehall%20Copse%20Knepp%20%202.7.23%20-%20Copy%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p> </p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-42264980814247146342023-07-08T23:43:00.003-07:002023-07-08T23:43:33.767-07:00Sat July 8th<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">A cloudy - but, at last, calm - day, punctuated by a hour's worth of thundery rain around midday. It was supposed to clear up nicely from 2pm, but glimmered and glowered instead. Emperors were nicely active during the glimmers.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">At Knepp, the Purple Emperor season is starting to age, as testified by this old boy, struggling to feed amongst the wet grasses, albeit after doubtless playing a prominent role in the Partygate scandal - </span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsQ7h0jcPdp4V_NN4txu4_EQuWjWpg3ZcAIwSOtMp3reY3DM8HSxS8kMvq0v3He2AXN4IDctyo8qyQ9zJMXHN6NXeNlenqA0_ChoiKh8ujw2c8DAoYO2Y8pBMu9inqGZSaZdlvrD-lial5ZWoC1fnThn0E-SSfxPP6MBLYfOaYPgcR950ROAEH_eyo6I/s4000/PE%20old%20m%20in%20grasses%20OpWal%20Field%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsQ7h0jcPdp4V_NN4txu4_EQuWjWpg3ZcAIwSOtMp3reY3DM8HSxS8kMvq0v3He2AXN4IDctyo8qyQ9zJMXHN6NXeNlenqA0_ChoiKh8ujw2c8DAoYO2Y8pBMu9inqGZSaZdlvrD-lial5ZWoC1fnThn0E-SSfxPP6MBLYfOaYPgcR950ROAEH_eyo6I/s320/PE%20old%20m%20in%20grasses%20OpWal%20Field%20Knepp%20%208.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">He'd been to visit the ecology students' compost loos - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuhuQfg88KKcicgLGcAoKmT0NECMXjmtaoqvkVCe6Bj7W92swe05f7RhsMvNrzexBTva3bh10TYW2-qA_UyzKeNgeKnm6_cibbOZnR3dhkcRkodIsgTRsajKKOohXCY9kZgGqW0Sle1H-Huyk6H-g7N_opmUJBurublsvLLutliOGjjWP33G9ZMz77PI/s1600/PE%20m%20in%20OpWal%20compost%20loos%20%20Knepp%20%208.7.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwuhuQfg88KKcicgLGcAoKmT0NECMXjmtaoqvkVCe6Bj7W92swe05f7RhsMvNrzexBTva3bh10TYW2-qA_UyzKeNgeKnm6_cibbOZnR3dhkcRkodIsgTRsajKKOohXCY9kZgGqW0Sle1H-Huyk6H-g7N_opmUJBurublsvLLutliOGjjWP33G9ZMz77PI/s320/PE%20m%20in%20OpWal%20compost%20loos%20%20Knepp%20%208.7.23.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">But I was shown a photo of a near-pristine male, who'd probably emerged there yesterday, saw a couple of freshly emerged females, and the males are still avidly searching the sallow stands for females. All this indicates that the Knepp season is far from ending - they'll be good for a couple of weeks BUT DON'T VISIT KNEPP AFTER JULY 23rd, they'll be over - and they've stopped feeding from the track surfaces. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I'm heading back to Glos and Wilts for a few days.</span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-1263496824314762432023-07-07T23:52:00.009-07:002023-07-08T01:56:49.909-07:00Doings: Fri July 7th <p> <span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Knepp. Neil counted 141 there yesterday, finishing at 7.30pm after a good evening flight, including 18 females - 7 of them involved in tumbledown rejection flights with males, and serial violence against Bullfinch, Great Splatted Woodpecker, Wood Pigeon, Chiffchaff and assorted titmice.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I was there too, but didn't do so well and saw virtually no violence. Males were assiduously searching the sallow fields for females during the morning, which suggests that females are still emerging there. They will stop doing this very soon though, and start taking the mornings off. Be warned. And the males have already stopped descending to feed on the tracks. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Neil and I both walked the Knepp PE transect, 15 mins apart. He and his brother totalled 52 (the third highest count on record, and best after 2018) - but with two counting; I totalled only 43 (one counter) but under-recorded towards the end, as they suddenly conked out in the heat at 3pm.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">A lot of feeding on sap runs. Look out for aggregations around veteran oaks, then spot Red Ads and Hornets visiting the small sap bleeds. At one sap run, we had three females perched close by, plus at least two males in the air close by - all had been booted off the sap bleeds by Hornets.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I've no idea what goes on in the mind of the Empress - </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBxedtGdWSfoZcv2_s021hGi6jMlzKW4e-5ny16AlkzxrNrviVyctq6qGpyJStV0em-vXwBFYakn7_U8i4S1xmn4UwkgIi7kfvrzkXuG0AQq1kwuTRDILDK0fWDeGHlu5hHJnltovEV-17pv0esTTwFo4S_3CMkmHiQOwETyNH5lhQWjJVAjYgs995IE/s4000/PE%20f%20in%20oak%20%20GL%20N%20Gate%20Knepp%20%207.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBxedtGdWSfoZcv2_s021hGi6jMlzKW4e-5ny16AlkzxrNrviVyctq6qGpyJStV0em-vXwBFYakn7_U8i4S1xmn4UwkgIi7kfvrzkXuG0AQq1kwuTRDILDK0fWDeGHlu5hHJnltovEV-17pv0esTTwFo4S_3CMkmHiQOwETyNH5lhQWjJVAjYgs995IE/s320/PE%20f%20in%20oak%20%20GL%20N%20Gate%20Knepp%20%207.7.23%20vg%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Elsewhere, Rev John Woolmer saw only 8 in 4 hours in the main Fermyn Woods block, 9.30-2pm, and met others who had had similar experiences. His conclusion is that the FC's felling of rideside sallows has adversely impacted on the PE, but maybe the season is more advanced there than we think and the males are stopping descending to the rides? However, Fiona Barclay fared much better, counting 12 in 45 mins.</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Great that Ian Surnam turned up PE at Coleorton Hall near Ashby de la Zouch in Leics. This is where Coleridge & Wordsworth had their spectacular bust up...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Nationally, the butterfly is now AT PEAK, and seems to be having a very good year nearly everywhere - the exception seems to be the East of England area and much of the region north of the Thames. </span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-396337602563445202023-07-06T15:25:00.001-07:002023-07-06T15:25:19.023-07:00Sighting at Southrey Wood<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Had an enjoyable hour or so in the company of Richard Smyth at Southrey Wood today, which is part of the Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve, located in central Lincolnshire. This is a wood that I have searched and searched and searched for Purple Emperor on many previous occasions, not only this year, but in the preceding two years as well. All prior attempts to find Purple Emperor there have been fruitless, but today we recorded one male, which was low down, only a foot off of the ground, probing a Small-leaved Lime <i>Tilia cordata </i>tree, which was covered in a sticky residue.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Pz7siynd_VRwttlfOLU4qCZ30ZcPGHeEAjdKZW04psYsocJ1J28ioPSK1qZvvb0rcNg3Of0D76DpCX2osWxgWo2JCRrh175SKiZIC53VoxrBRhwxJMf4LC0v9F4MBUnK9G4bTqdEAE72rZ9DRbYHN-rpEa-0FrG3pW9nRilJPg6bsNsMlkLF_7h1kBqv/s5472/1L6A8837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Pz7siynd_VRwttlfOLU4qCZ30ZcPGHeEAjdKZW04psYsocJ1J28ioPSK1qZvvb0rcNg3Of0D76DpCX2osWxgWo2JCRrh175SKiZIC53VoxrBRhwxJMf4LC0v9F4MBUnK9G4bTqdEAE72rZ9DRbYHN-rpEa-0FrG3pW9nRilJPg6bsNsMlkLF_7h1kBqv/w400-h266/1L6A8837.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The photo shows that the butterfly is extremely fresh, but the left hindwing has curled up on the inner edge near to the body.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My thanks to Richard for making it a very memorable day!</span></p>Toby Ludlowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03347522393591402223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-53158242508146959022023-07-06T13:40:00.005-07:002023-07-06T13:40:45.145-07:00Thurs July 6th: Back at Knepp...<p> <span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Back at Knepp. The sun came out to play for the afternoon, but with it came a Moderate SSW wind, which died down after 4.30 to allow a nice evening flight. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The Emperor is now at peak season here. Females are still emerging (a mating pair was seen today, involving a freshly emerged Empress; another pairing was seen yesterday). </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Males are still active in the mornings, and searching the sallows for girls, but have almost certainly stopped descending to feed from the tracks. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">I'll count them tomorrow, which is supposed to be hot and sunny, and hopefully with less wind. This should be my peak season count. Watch this space...</span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Here's Herself getting plastered on oak sap today. Note the small white bead - this is what they feed on -</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKz36p47vPUxvT2H08b_dJezeukwp9E1kw1MAv3vm5l3BTOsW_XW0rUyQ9XHM5ErEvCnmKTiZgc7lGd9abg14c8BySZrMduOrlxU52ze9OY_erxE2L1Qca9Y52huHPRUiPBW8YLEUss5S3sv71TUtaGbdcSLH8VpfCSfezmhUZpkOxkUqMRRSCKCeU0g/s4000/PE%20f%20und%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%2010-11%20%20Knepp%20%206.7.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKz36p47vPUxvT2H08b_dJezeukwp9E1kw1MAv3vm5l3BTOsW_XW0rUyQ9XHM5ErEvCnmKTiZgc7lGd9abg14c8BySZrMduOrlxU52ze9OY_erxE2L1Qca9Y52huHPRUiPBW8YLEUss5S3sv71TUtaGbdcSLH8VpfCSfezmhUZpkOxkUqMRRSCKCeU0g/s320/PE%20f%20und%20on%20oak%20sap%20bleed%20Bhse%2010-11%20%20Knepp%20%206.7.23%20%202%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-72154960625789702782023-07-05T09:35:00.002-07:002023-07-05T09:35:50.353-07:00Wed July 5th: with a hey-ho the wind and the rain...<p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Another day largely lost to poor weather. Too cloudy here in Glos, though it looked a bit brighter to the south in Wilts. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Further east, in Hants and Sussex, good PE activity during the few sunny spells that came along there, though the wind was disruptive - a day for a lot of hanging about and working sheltered east-facing edges, only. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">Males are still emerging and coming down to the ride surfaces in Fermyn Woods, and should still be doing so this weekend - but don't visit after this Sunday if you want to photograph / see males on the ground there, they'll stop coming down. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">They've probably already stopped coming down at Knepp, but I'll find out when I return there tomorrow. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;">The good news is that the humungous female I bred, from a larva rescued ahead of ride-side sallow felling by our most beloved forestry body, successfully hatched. I pinned her out 4m up as I didn't want to release her at Knepp, which doesn't need additional Emperors. She was one of four I reared this year, as my 'thermometer': a male and three females. </span></p><p><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tj7zN9dS7CkJtNVBDiHKN5O9O4BkzGFSvB4zONXLsO7gE_X1DuCntr-jWTEOa4cB3yo8JenlqmmWHVVEZbJ-VMrMlXPPQTYAB0jJ_zcomGs2tp0oaCjDg5jPR7EbDJ5yhwBbQArBe8mK2LIhBxEl503OLczF8Zujuq0TAS0m5_mYCkSBeiXkVvRxZCc/s4000/PE%20pupa%20fem%20hatched%20%20Cpt%2025%20Oakley%20Wd%20%205.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tj7zN9dS7CkJtNVBDiHKN5O9O4BkzGFSvB4zONXLsO7gE_X1DuCntr-jWTEOa4cB3yo8JenlqmmWHVVEZbJ-VMrMlXPPQTYAB0jJ_zcomGs2tp0oaCjDg5jPR7EbDJ5yhwBbQArBe8mK2LIhBxEl503OLczF8Zujuq0TAS0m5_mYCkSBeiXkVvRxZCc/s320/PE%20pupa%20fem%20hatched%20%20Cpt%2025%20Oakley%20Wd%20%205.7.23%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #ff00fe; font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>Matthew Oateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880055207155416358noreply@blogger.com0