Hard Work at Knepp

 No two days of the Emperor season are the same, especially late on.

Today was bloody hard work, in almost identical weather to yesterday, when the Emperors flew strongly - I think because they'd just sat through a couple of poor weather days, and were keen to get going. Today, though, they behaved like ageing rock stars - think Keith Richards, perhaps... (Mick Jagger would have been watching the cricket).

My day's first, at 10.15, was a relatively fresh male, off oak edging and sallow searching - in August! He must have been on a very late-leafing sallow, unable to start feeding before early May.  

Thereafter they were loath to do anything other than visit sap runs and get plastered, in the company of numerous Red Admirals. The Red Ad, you will have noticed, is putting in a bid for Butterfly of theYear. Three males were feeding on one oak feeder tree in the company of 6-8 Red Ads until about 6.30 in the evening.  They'll last another week at Knepp.

Emperors are going to be difficult to see over the next few days, due to wind, cloud and pulses of rain. Afternoons only, leeward, and near oak sap feeder trees...

I'm going home tomorrow as my cat's missing me...