Sallows flowered prodigiously this spring, so much so that at many Purple Emperor sites sallow foliage was very late in developing. Many sallows, notably the narrow-leaved varieties, didn't come into leaf properly before late May. This is probably a reaction to stress caused by last summer's drought.
Whatever the cause, it may result in an unusually protracted emergence this year, at both site and district level. This is evident at Knepp, where less than ten females have been seen so far - and the season kicked of there on June 25th. It may also explain why only a single Emperor has been seen so far this season in Straits Inclosure, in Alice Holt Forest.
Today, I visited a new site near Swindon-where-the-shadows-lie, a vast jungle of sallow over a large abandoned arable field. Sallow quality there was terrible, with many bushes dying - after over-flowering in response to drought stress. Thankfully, the broad-leaved varieties were alright and I quickly turned up a new iris colony.
No comments:
Post a Comment