I don't want this June to end...
Started the day by seeing a male Brown Hairstreak at Knepp (one was seen there yesterday, and I heard a rumour of one on Saturday 28th!). Time was when this butterfly would start at the end of July in a good summer... We used to regard it as the Herald of Autumn. We used to start seeing Vapourer moths in late July too - now, they're dashing about at Knepp from mid-June...
Purple Emperor is now at peak at Knepp. Saw two egg-laying females today. I think just about all the males are now out, and I don't expect any more to descend to the tracks to feed - they've gone through that stage. In a few days time they'll stop sallow searching and start taking the mornings off.
Ended up watching a guestimated 25-36 around a classic oak 'feeder tree', where there are several feeding points. They were in constant view. The most I saw in a vista was 12, and I only managed to photo a few foursomes, like this -
They kept getting disturbed by hornets, and also performed several 'tumbledowns', in which mated females dance to near the ground in an effort to rid themselves of God's Gift males.
Elsewhere, good to hear of a lovely male ab. lugenda in one of the south Northants woods. I've still only seen a lone aberration at Knepp, a very pale female.
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Most were up high in Cotgrave Woods but there was one landed on somebody’s hand then led us a dance up and down the ride for a while. Purple hairstreaks creating a mauve haze around some wild cherry trees, several silver washed fritillaries on brambles and lots of ringlets in the grass
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