Peak Season at Knepp

The Purple Emperor will be at peak season (i.e. maximum numbers showing) at Knepp this weekend. The year's main pulse of emergence has just taken place, but more are still to emerge, especially females. I saw the first eggs being laid at Knepp yesterday. For visiting details scroll down to my post of 12th June.

I haven't been able to do any counts at Knepp yet (I am doing a full count tomorrow - so if you meet me, I'll not be stopping long...) but it looks as though numbers may only be about half of last years astronomical high: don't worry, there's still plenty around at Knepp, it's just that 2018 was utterly astounding. However, if this pattern is being repeated elsewhere (and I think it is), the butterfly will be hard to see in sites supporting small populations.  

The butterfly seems to be only just starting in some districts (e.g. Wiltshire and Northants, which are traditionally later) and numbers are only just starting to build up in many sites, including Alice Holt Forest and Chiddingfold Forest.

The good news is that a male aberration lugenda was photographed today in Fermyn Woods, Northants, though it wasn't a pristine specimen (maybe 3-4 days old).

At Knepp, males are starting to feed on fermenting oak sap - and are getting piddled...  

The message to all Emperophiles for the weekend is, to quote the grandmaster of Emperoring, IRP Heslop: "To the woods, without breakfast!"