The weather is at last set fair, and this weekend should see Purple Emperors start to emerge in numbers down south.
To date, the butterfly has only been seen at three sites: a scatter of males at Knepp in W Sussex - but no big emergence there yet; a report of one from Chilworth just south-east of Guildford, and a male today in one of the Epping Forest territories.
These sightings may result from a scatter of early-developing larvae that managed to pupate before the weather fell badly apart in late May - and the bulk of larvae then got stuck in the entomological equivalent of a full motorway closure.
We shall see, but great Emperor seasons erupt - and this one ain't erupting...
To the woods, the lot of you: find that Emperor...
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