The Purple Emperor is still going strong at Knepp, although hot and sunny mornings can be very slow now. Today followed this pattern, but by the time I'd bumped into John Woodward, of Steyning Downland Scheme
http://www.steyningdownland.org fame, things were livening up. We got some fantastic views of His Imperial Majesty through John's telescope.
I later met a couple I know through Steyning U3A, just in time to share a point-blank view of an empress dropping to the ground in an attempt to shake off an over-enthusiastic male; later repeated by another female in exactly the same spot. At one point I saw three females laying eggs in a sheltered sallow grove, and by the time they'd stopped flying I'd seen a total of 47 individuals.
The highpoint for me today was watching a pair of males doing almost non-stop battle over the pond beside the barn on the green lane. I was mesmerised for an hour, during which they were in combat flight for about 45 minutes. And I won't forget the White Admiral which I spent an hour photographing as it repeatedly perched within a metre of where I stood. I'll be back again as soon as possible, to drink in more of Knepp's magic.
The Purple Emperor is still going strong at Knepp, although hot and sunny mornings can be very slow now. Today followed this pattern, but by the time I'd bumped into John Woodward, of Steyning Downland Scheme http://www.steyningdownland.org fame, things were livening up. We got some fantastic views of His Imperial Majesty through John's telescope. 
I later met a couple I know through Steyning U3A, just in time to share a point-blank view of an empress dropping to the ground in an attempt to shake off an over-enthusiastic male; later repeated by another female in exactly the same spot. At one point I saw three females laying eggs in a sheltered sallow grove, and by the time they'd stopped flying I'd seen a total of 47 individuals.
The highpoint for me today was watching a pair of males doing almost non-stop battle over the pond beside the barn on the green lane. I was mesmerised for an hour, during which they were in combat flight for about 45 minutes. And I won't forget the White Admiral which I spent an hour photographing as it repeatedly perched within a metre of where I stood. I'll be back again as soon as possible, to drink in more of Knepp's magic.
5 comments:
Neil, I was wondering whether you think it's possible to estimate the total population of iris in Knepp, given that you saw 148 before peak? (And if so, what you think it might be). Or are there just too many unknowns, likelihood of undiscovered territories etc?
Now there's a tricky question, but a good one. I would suggest that if we could see 148 individuals in a day, there would likely be something in the region of 500 flying somewhere within the limits of the Knepp Wildland at peak. Almost all of those observed were males, and not all the butterflies would have hatched at that point, the majority of un-hatched being females. I suspect that the total Knepp population would therefore be >1000.
BWs, Neil
your photos are interesting Neil; is it an atypical iris habitat, being very open and not actually a forest?
Hi Dennis
The Knepp Wildland is an area comprising former arable fields and dairy pasture, allowed to develop through natural processes which are driven by free-roaming herbivores (Longhorns, Tamworth, Exmoor, Red/Fallow/Roe). Fortunately, this has resulted in huge areas of sallow scrub. Best described (at present) as scrubland, and certainly not forest or woodland.
BWs, Neil
Thanks for responding Neil - I had no idea the numbers would be that high although it makes perfect sense. This is great news.
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