Bentley Wood, Hants

Paul Brock saw at least 5 Purple Emperor at Bentley Wood, Hampshire on a hot day where several purple admirers congregated. Before 9am in the car park, Mark Pike had already found an admirer, which settled on his backpack, Nikon and fleece. Well who can blame the butterfly, he was sweating a little, having walked a mile and a half from West Dean railway station! After half an hour the butterfly had enough.......others flew high up in trees by the Switchback, but often came to the ground sometimes for up to about 30 minutes to take nourishment from dung, or from soil, but mostly only too briefly. Once or twice one landed low down on bracken. At times, they opened their wings and camera shutters were quickly pressed in the hope of an all purple image! Just before 12am, one male expressed an interest in a silver vehicle bonnet in the car park, all too soon it was time to depart. I wonder what turned up in the afternoon?

Wood You Believe It?

Following help from Matthew three likely assembly areas have been found within about a mile of each other here in Odiham, North Hampshire. Two are on the edge of small areas of woodland but the third is especially interesting as it doesn't appear to be associated directly with woods. It seems possible that the males may be coming from sallows on the edge of a main road, adjacent hedges or even local gardens. Clearly Purple potential in the landscape generally is greatly enhanced if woodland is not a necessary factor for the success of the species.

From personal experience I'd urge everyone to check in and around local high spots, whether or not they feel promising at first. I'd lived here fifteen years before I realised that the butterfly was strong locally, so even allowing for my poor observation skills it's amazingly easy to miss.

It's just possible that Iris can adapt to open and semi-urban situations much more readily than we currently realise.

Rare form sighted

In keeping with the recent spate of unusual forms of Purple Emperor turning up, I was today treated with a fleeting view of the extremely uncommon var. missingabitae

Well, they say beggars can't be choosers. This was my only sighting on possibly my only opportunity to get to Fermyn this year. Sigh.

Iris makes Primetime TV - licence fees not wasted after all!

Helping BBC Nat Hist Unit film piece on Iris for a forthcoming 1 hour BBC2 prog on British Butts. Now, we believe strongly that the PE bit must be the best part of the hour, so I'm under Maximum Pressure to ensure that happens..... Transmission: winter 2010-11.

Alice was at her stupendous best, with males constantly in view sallow searching in late morning in the Straits. At one point 4 sallow-searching males were in view. Then a good session from a cherry picker at Goose Green, with a male in George's Glade attacking everything in sight - including Nithatch and Great Splatted woodpecker and the Tit family..... Some interesting female behaviour incl more egg laying.

We also filmed, from on high, various frolickings involving people wearing nothing but One Sock - all of which will be broadcast.

I remain, determined to finish this bottle of sack before starting the port....

M.

Here Come The Girls

Having failed to see Matthew's iole at Alice Holt on 30 June (although there was plenty of great PE action) I headed home, as I had one or two mundane matters to deal with. As I passed through Midhurst I was suddenly overcome with the urge to see more Emperors. A quick diversion to Botany Bay, a sprint through the woods on my Japanese Commuter Bicycle, and I was back on the butterflies. Although it was well past 5 pm there was still plenty going on both in the air and on the deck. 3 different males were working one ride, and I spent some time chatting to local enthusiast Nick Broomer, as we stalked them between doggy poos.


I was in the process of leaving at 6.30 pm when I spotted a newly emerged female Emperor drying off in the long grass, just below a sallow. We spent some time watching her as she made her first clumsy attempts at flight. At least she would avoid the attentions of the amorous males that had just retired for the night. I doubt that her virginity would have lasted until noon today.

Japanese Commuter Bicycles

This season's must-have accessory for the Lady or Gentleman of Purple is the Japanese Commuter Bicycle. These allow rapid (although quite dangerous) transportation between Emperors. The 'now-Purple' Hannah joined me at Botany Bay on 29 June, to test how effective and dangerous they are - highly. We had 5 males on the deck, one of which Hannah delicately teased onto her finger.

The remarkable run of dark aberrations this year continued, with our sighting of an extreme ocellata Silver-washed Fritillary. Dark Emperors, White Admirals and Commas are showing up with regularity on many sites across the South of England.

In the heat of the day many Emperors are sitting around twiddling their tarsal joints. However, as the afternoons cool off quite a few of these butterflies are coming to ground again - so don't restrict yourself to the classical 9-11am period for photo opportunities.

Botany Bay Bonanza

Planning and leading field trips for Butterfly Conservation members can be fraught with difficulties, not least due to the vagaries of the British weather, and seasonal variations in the timing of emergence. However, the outing I led to Botany Bay on the Sussex/Surrey border on 28 June 2009 will forever be remembered as the 'perfect job'! I had billed the event as an opportunity to see iris up close and personal.

20 participants congregated at the meeting point; all hopeful of seeing Him, with 8 never having had the pleasure previously. I lay down a couple of 'Hau Loc' belachan baits just inside the main gate at 8.55 hrs. At 8.58 hrs a pristine male descended to sample the pungent shrimp sauce, and as the outing started, 8 people became 'Purple'. Soon a ring of bodies surrounded the Emperor, who seemed oblivious as he overloaded on salts.

From then on things just got better and better. The entire party saw 5 individual, scale-perfect males on the deck that morning, with some coming to ground on more than one occasion. One of the party walked a little further into the woods and saw another 2. Those that stayed on into the afternoon were treated to an eight different butterfly.

I will be repeating the walk next year.