Back in Alice Holt, initially in unsuccessful pursuit of that Iole male. Neil Hulme ventured over the border to join the search - only to learn that another pristine Iole male had been photoed on his home patch. Hulme needs to be put on strong blood pressure pills. Never twitch an aberration.
Iris did not descend to the rides early on, only coming down in modest numbers during the mid-late morning period, as usual. I've yet to witness a repeat of the mass early breakfast of the 1976 heatwave, when temperatures were similar.
Good to see the first egg laying of the year (assuming she did lay - and the girls often go thru the motions without actually laying). She also rejected a male in the classic downward spiral flight describe in Ken Willmott's work. I also saw 2 other Empresses, including one being courted by 2 males at the main Goose Green territory. Result unknown.
Males were nicely sallow-searching and sailing the oak edges for an hour late morning. From 2pm they were quiescent, hardly stirring in the heat. There was a modest evening flight for 1 hour from 6pm, but activity was hindered and then curtailed by a band of cloud.
The butterfly is now officially 'well out' down south, with more females and a few males still to emerge.
Apparently it's just starting in Northants.
Enjoy...
Matthew
Gentlemen, Ladies: Tomorrow is One Sock Day.....
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
More From Alice Holt
Back in Alice Holt, initially in unsuccessful pursuit of that Iole male. Neil Hulme ventured over the border to join the search - only to learn that another pristine Iole male had been photoed on his home patch. Hulme needs to be put on strong blood pressure pills. Never twitch an aberration.
Iris did not descend to the rides early on, only coming down in modest numbers during the mid-late morning period, as usual. I've yet to witness a repeat of the mass early breakfast of the 1976 heatwave, when temperatures were similar.
Good to see the first egg laying of the year (assuming she did lay - and the girls often go thru the motions without actually laying). She also rejected a male in the classic downward spiral flight describe in Ken Willmott's work. I also saw 2 other Empresses, including one being courted by 2 males at the main Goose Green territory. Result unknown.
Males were nicely sallow-searching and sailing the oak edges for an hour late morning. From 2pm they were quiescent, hardly stirring in the heat. There was a modest evening flight for 1 hour from 6pm, but activity was hindered and then curtailed by a band of cloud.
The butterfly is now officially 'well out' down south, with more females and a few males still to emerge.
Apparently it's just starting in Northants.
Enjoy...
Matthew
Iris did not descend to the rides early on, only coming down in modest numbers during the mid-late morning period, as usual. I've yet to witness a repeat of the mass early breakfast of the 1976 heatwave, when temperatures were similar.
Good to see the first egg laying of the year (assuming she did lay - and the girls often go thru the motions without actually laying). She also rejected a male in the classic downward spiral flight describe in Ken Willmott's work. I also saw 2 other Empresses, including one being courted by 2 males at the main Goose Green territory. Result unknown.
Males were nicely sallow-searching and sailing the oak edges for an hour late morning. From 2pm they were quiescent, hardly stirring in the heat. There was a modest evening flight for 1 hour from 6pm, but activity was hindered and then curtailed by a band of cloud.
The butterfly is now officially 'well out' down south, with more females and a few males still to emerge.
Apparently it's just starting in Northants.
Enjoy...
Matthew
Monday, June 29, 2009
Iris in East Sussex
By the powers invested in me, I hereby declare Sheffield Park Woods (NT) officially Purple. 3 males around a classic sheltered high point territory and a probable female later. There are very few known sites in East Sussex.
Better still, the Dragons Green iris are back, after many years. This is quite the most vicious race of iris: serial offender thugs. Who else would beat up 2 chaffinch, massacre a hornet, and then slaughter a posse of courting Purple Hairstreak, all within a minute? Don't mess with these guys, they're serious. 2 were on a sap run there at 6.45pm, pushing out hornets. They were still going when I left for the pub at 7.20 - so a significant evening flight in this orgasmic heat.
Matthew
Better still, the Dragons Green iris are back, after many years. This is quite the most vicious race of iris: serial offender thugs. Who else would beat up 2 chaffinch, massacre a hornet, and then slaughter a posse of courting Purple Hairstreak, all within a minute? Don't mess with these guys, they're serious. 2 were on a sap run there at 6.45pm, pushing out hornets. They were still going when I left for the pub at 7.20 - so a significant evening flight in this orgasmic heat.
Matthew
first, congratulations to Matthew on his iole.................well deserved!
doings in upper thames [berks/bucks/oxon];
first sightings on 25th June in three habitats very far apart [south-east bucks, bucks-oxon borders, west berks]; several single sightings since then.
Today, at Finemere Wood, 4/5 seen [believe me, that is good for this part of the world!]. Two were clashing males above the Ash canopy high point territory first found by Matthew a few years ago
doings in upper thames [berks/bucks/oxon];
first sightings on 25th June in three habitats very far apart [south-east bucks, bucks-oxon borders, west berks]; several single sightings since then.
Today, at Finemere Wood, 4/5 seen [believe me, that is good for this part of the world!]. Two were clashing males above the Ash canopy high point territory first found by Matthew a few years ago
Sunday, June 28, 2009
MATTHEW AND ab.iole
SUNDAY 28th JUNE:Today, I spent 45 mins with a pristine Purple Emperor male aberration Iole, down on the main ride near the entrance to my beloved Straits Inclosure, in Alice Holt. Photos to follow. This realises an ambition of 40+ years standing. Iole has 2 tiny white spots, only. There are 3 specimens in the national collections.
It had not previously been photographed.
'If a man could pass through paradise as if in a dream, and be handed a flower as a pledge that he had truly been there; and if on leaving he was to find that flower in his hand. Ay! And what then?'. Coleridge (probably in an illegal state of mind).
Matthew
It had not previously been photographed.
'If a man could pass through paradise as if in a dream, and be handed a flower as a pledge that he had truly been there; and if on leaving he was to find that flower in his hand. Ay! And what then?'. Coleridge (probably in an illegal state of mind).
Matthew
SATURDAY 27th JUNE: Great to see a courting pair - male closely following female - at the Mark Oak master tree territory where Ken Willmott conducted much of his classic research, seen at 1.38 and 1.40. Straight out of the Book of Willmott. This seems to be the first female of the year.
No males seen 'sallow-searching', which they do on flat ground in Alice Holt and Fermyn. Ken has never seen this here. Maybe they don't indulge in that behaviour here.
3 males seen down on the rides in the morning, but all disturbed by passers by. None came down to our baits, but we only put them out for 45 mins.
Matthew
FRIDAY 26th JUNE: The day began with the obligatory Glastonbury Festival thunderstorm, then a glowering dank morning which meant my field meeting group failed to see anything or iris. Some sun and brightness after 2pm. His Imperial Majesty came out to play with the sun: 4 males at Goose Green in Alice Holt, who split into two pairs disputing two territories. And a freshly emerged Purple Hairstreak - and again I failed to find the vacated pupal case.
No males seen 'sallow-searching', which they do on flat ground in Alice Holt and Fermyn. Ken has never seen this here. Maybe they don't indulge in that behaviour here.
3 males seen down on the rides in the morning, but all disturbed by passers by. None came down to our baits, but we only put them out for 45 mins.
Matthew
FRIDAY 26th JUNE: The day began with the obligatory Glastonbury Festival thunderstorm, then a glowering dank morning which meant my field meeting group failed to see anything or iris. Some sun and brightness after 2pm. His Imperial Majesty came out to play with the sun: 4 males at Goose Green in Alice Holt, who split into two pairs disputing two territories. And a freshly emerged Purple Hairstreak - and again I failed to find the vacated pupal case.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Southwater Update
The number of Purple Emperors at Southwater Woods is building nicely. On the 25th June Matthew Oates and I spent the day there, eventually seeing a total of 8 males. Things were looking a little slow, until an apparently solitary male was suddenly joined by a second, then third Emperor, resulting in a 'free-for-all' around the Dogbarking Master Trees.
Today (27th June) I saw 10 individual males, with two coming down to the main W-E Ride. I got some reasonable photographs of the underside, but the open-wing 'purple shot' evaded me, as it was checking out the quality of my moleskin trousers. Fellow Butterfly Conservation committee member Andrew Burns managed to photograph it on my calf.
The woods are throwing up unprecendented numbers of aberrant forms this season. I recorded my fifth different obliterae White Admiral and an even more extreme ocellata Silver-washed Fritillary than the one that I've seen over previous days.
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