My last sighting of Apatura iris this year should prove to be the old male seen patrolling one of the favoured territories along the summit of Three Oak Hill Drive in Savernake Forest yesterday, Sat August 9th. I had thought that the butterfly would last a little longer than that in Savernake, given that adults didn't start to emerge there until June 30th but the strong winds of the tail-end of Hurricane Bertha should end the season. Gales knock this butterfly right out.
The general impression is that this has been an 'average' season at most sites, though distinctly below average at some and perhaps a little above average in one or two places, notably in Fermyn Woods which is in a dimension of its own.
At Savernake, the real test will come when I finish my systematic search for eggs and larvae, which I have done annually since 2009. My guess is that the 'egg lay' there is right down, to something like 30-40 - i.e. extremely low.
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I agrre Matthew; I have not started looking intensively yet, but I have only found two 2nd instar larvae so far
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