Sussex All But Empty

Matthew and I searched hard for iris across the entire Southwater Woods complex yesterday, from early to late in perfect conditions. We found only 5 males between us. I have personally seen just 10 Emperors in Sussex this year, with the most frenetic activity being a single chase of 2. On 9th July 2010 we covered the same ground and saw at least 21 different males. Elsewhere in Sussex other observers are seeing the same .... little, or in most cases nothing! Matthew came to the conclusion that this is the worst showing in Sussex since 1972. Other counties seem to be faring much better, but here all but the very best sites have fallen below Heslop's observation threshold.