Sat July 17th: Scorchio!

Briefly, as I'm knackered after working a rather poor evening flight till 8pm...

The Purple Emperor is now at or rapidly approaching peak just about everywhere. Numbers seem low (similar to 2020) in most of the South East and much of Essex, due to the impact of last August's heatwave there. Elsewhere, it looks as though numbers are up on last year, but it's early days still...

At Knepp, males are still emerging and there are probably a good number of females still to come. Males are busy sallow searching during the mornings, then setting up territories in the oaks, but becoming quiscent from 2.30 before rousing a little in the evening. Females are about. Crucially, the sallows are now in excellent condition for the laying females, and will be for 1st instar larvae.

Good to hear that numbers have picked up considerably in Bucks Best Wood (a privately owned wood managed with Emperors strongly in mind), after a shocker there last year; and that 19 were seen today in Hatfield Forest; and that the butterfly was behaving badly at Woodwalton Fen today.  

Tomorrow, go early or late; skip the heatwave part from 3-5pm.