Bentley Wood well underway.

As I made my way to Bentley Wood n Wiltshire today the weather seemed to get cloudier and cloudier, so I was not expecting much Emperor wise. On arrival at 11.00 the sun broke through so I was a bit more hopeful. A short walk from the car park and there were 2 sparring males. Then things began to happen, the sunny spells really got them flying and there were far more Purple Emperors about than I expected, in fact more than I have ever seen here so early in the season. I met a couple of observers who had seen one down briefly earlier, by this time I had seen 5. Continuing my walk through the woods I eventually had a male down on the track at 13.48 but it was very restless and did not stay down for long. My final total was 15 which was a pretty good count compared to my previous visits over the years. I think this could be a big year here if the weather allows it to be. Mike Gibbons