Purple Emperor larvae are now all in hibernation. The last lingerers went into hibernation at the start of December - very (and possibly unprecedentedly) late...
Some larvae changed position during mild weather in early December, mainly from buds to forks or scars.
The sallow leaves are all off too. It looked as though many sallows were going to retain leaves well into December, but there was a mass sallow leaf fall during the month's second week.
This means that the Dangle Leaf season is effectively over, apart from in sheltered stream gullies and on sallows along the edges of thicket-stage conifer blocks.
Provisional analysis suggests that relatively few larvae are hibernating by buds this winter, and that forks and twig scars are being favoured, like these two (Savernake, 14th December) -
This is odd.
Titmouse numbers seem ominously high in the Emperor woods this winter, following a successful breeding season in the fine spring weather. Great Tit, in particular, is a major predator of hibernating Emperor larvae. I have already heard my first Great Tit of next year singing (Dec 14th)!
The Purple Emperor has, of course, won Butterfly of the Year 2025, by a very long way. The issue is who has come second and third?
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