Wed June 17th: It's a Girl!

Here's Persephone, of Knepp. She was found as a final instar larva by UV torching at night in early June, by Neil Hulme. She had her final meal on the leaf upperside early on Sun June 14th, and then crawled about .5m to a leaf underside that afternoon, to pupate. 

She was head up, spinning a silk pad on the 15th, then turned around, head down on the 16th. She pupated this morning (17th), and revealed herself to be female (the pupae are easy to sex). 

So, a three day process, which is unusually quick. She wont emerge before July 7th.

Not too much progress at Knepp today: the morning was too cloudy and the afternoon too windy. 

Elsewhere, the Emperor has now been seen on the wing in Hertfordshire, Warwickshire (Heart of England Forest) and - here's the big one - Northamptonshire (Fermyn Woods).

This weekend should be mega...