2nd Brood Purple Emperor!

The 4th instar larva we're following in Savernake is now changing to the 5th and final instar. Here it is, photoed today, Sept 20th, hunched up in classic skin changing pose - 

The weather is set fair, so it should at least make it into the 5th instar. If the fair weather continues longer, and it doesn't get predated, it could be on the wing in mid-October...

And, as I pointed out in last week's post, if the Emperor is threatening to double-brood in northern Wiltshire, what is it doing in the warmer, sunnier Southeast???  

Watch this space, and expect the unexpected... All things are possible with this the best of all possible butterflies...

Before I get too carried away, the other 25 known larvae we checked in Savernake Forest this weekend were in the 3rd instar, behaving normally (the trouble is, the Purple Emperor butterfly doesn't normally do normal, it pushes limits)... 

  

 

4th Instar Larva, in September!

Just when we thought that 2026 couldn't get any more amazing for butterflies, the Purple Emperor moves towards producing a second brood. 

Last Sunday, Sept 13th, Team Savernake found an L4 larva! 

Normally, Emperor larvae overwinter in L3 and change into L4 in mid-spring. 

Here it is, on a distinctly autumnal leaf -

                                Photo  Gary Knight

Now, if iris is moving towards producing some second brood adults in the frozen wastes of Wiltshire, what is it doing in the warm South East???

Watch this space...

  

Steady Progress

Purple Emperor larvae are developing steadily, and seem to be in 'average' numbers this early autumn. 

They are bang on time, and are not showing any inclination towards second-brooding, despite the blazing hot August (we don't particularly want them to waste themselves by producing second brood individuals). 

Yesterday, in Savernake Forest, half the larvae seen were in late L2 stage, whilst the other half had recently changed to L3 (in which they will remain until next spring). Here's a classic early 3rd instar larva (what we call EL3):-

Sallow foliage conditions are variable, but in general the sallows held up remarkably well through the heatwave summer. Sallow dieback has been noted on the clays, particularly on the Weald and Gault clays in the South East, with dying sallows reported in Alice Holt Forest. The sallow fields at Knepp are heavily droughted, though those along the water courses there seem OK. It looks as if we've just got away with it, but await more evidence...

Finally, here's a rather poor photo of my 2000th find:- 

Take a fresh guard, and bat on...