Mr. W.A. Cope: Best authority on iris? (1954)

When referring to the egg laying numbers of iris females, on page 40 of “Notes and Views” Hyde refers to a Mr. W.A. Cope as being “one of our best authorities on this species”. As stated on page 104 of “Notes and Views” the original reference to this quote being present on page 99 (although in truth the quote is actually on pages 98 and 99) of Vol.66 of “The Entomologist’s Record” (1954). Below is a URL link to an online copy:


http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30077804#151


I write to enquire if anybody has any further information about the works of this illusive Mr. W.A. Cope, as internet searches unfortunately fail to yield any details regarding his work in relation to iris, which would deem him worthy of this title?


Any/all leads that can provide further information on this matter would be very much appreciated.


Kindest regards,



Mark

Ilia

Very nice pair of Apatura ilia clyti recently bred and photographed by Derek Smith.

There ain't no cure for love...

Latest Doings

Gentlemen, we are currently skin changing, from the 2nd to 3rd instar (in which we will stay for seven months). Note the yellow band at the back of the head, indicating that the skin is getting oh so tight... .

Searches for larvae continue, but it is quite clear that numbers are way down on this time last year - almost certainly because females were killed off prematurely by the St Swithin's Day gale. Most areas that revealed pleasing numbers of larvae last early autumn are now producing at best only one or two (yesterday I found 1 in 3 hrs 30 mins, on trees that produced 12 last Sept). However, I have found the odd hot spot, but it is very hard work.

PLEASE NOTE: This blog functions all year round. Keep visiting it, and do put your highlights from the 2010 flight season on, if you haven't already done so.

Memories are made of this

Yes, it's September, and the flight season is long gone.

To cheer us all up, here's a picture from Nick Wynn, memories of a magical day.

Here she is, caught in the Hemp agrimony on 26th July 2002 in Bentley Wood. Although not obvious in the photo, she was exploring the flowers with that amazing yellow tongue and was so engrossed that I was able to pull the flower heads down and take the shot without disturbing her.

This pic was taken with my old film camera and scanned into the computer.

Nick Wynn

Red Book and Apaturidae - Mark Youles

Following on from our previous email exchange back in June, I write to enquire if you (or any of the thepurpleempire.com colleagues) are aware of any centralised data for the global red list/red data classifications of the Apaturidae genus and iris in particular?

Having so far been unable to find any such existing data, I have been able to compile the attached table (within a word.doc) and wondered if you (or any of the thepurpleempire.com colleagues) know of any additional data that is not already mentioned within? If so, I would be most grateful if these could please be forwarded onto me (with relevant references) in order to improve on the limited amount of data that I already have. The C.ulupi/Se.chandra India data I am currently awaiting confirmation of final classification which was awarded.

I thank you for any assistance that you might please be able to provide in regards to this matter. Regards, Mark


Can anyone help Mark Youles with his researches? You can download the document to which he refers here:

www.thepurpleempire.com/red.doc

and you can reach Mark here:

youlesm@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk

A SPECIAL MOMENT

As a child in the late sixties I am ashamed to say that my interest in butterflies lay in catching and killing them. At this time I was never fortunate [!] enough not to even see his majesty let alone catch him.

Time passed and my interest waned but in more recent years a chance encounter with a Silver Spotted Skipper reignited my enthusiasm for butterflies and subsequently a camera replaced my net.

Obviously with this renewed interest I wanted to see those species that had eluded me in my youth - especially the Purple Emporer.

It was in 2009 that I trawled the internet to find the best local site to see himself and through Alan Thornbury's excellent website set forth for Straits Inclosure.

That year, during the first couple of weeks of July, I became thoroughly entranced with many close encounters of a butterfly that I once thought I would never see - even seeing a flypast of four at once!!!! During this time I found the Purple Empire website and was relieved to find that I was not the only one that had become similarly entranced by the same creature.

Plans were made to take advantage of my new found knowledge for various forays this year and my first - if distant - sighting was at Bentley Wood on the 2nd July.

The following day I made a hesistant return to Staits Inclosure as I had become aware of the havoc wreaked by FE and it was every bit as bad as I had feared. However just 50m along the track I found a pristine male displaying on the path for me and had a few further sightings during the course of the morning.

During this time I reestablished my acquaintance with Ashley Whitlock - the Hants and IoW Purple Emporer recorder- who I had met at Straits the previopus year. He quietly pointed me over the road to Abbots Wood Inclosure where he had some good sightings -THANKS!

Over the subsequent days I made a number of visits here, making frequent sightings of both himself and eventually herself. This culminated in a courting pair circling around me when I could clearly hear their wings clashing before the disinterested female dissappeared deep into an adjacent sallow.

Just as the season was drawing to a close my dad sadly died after ashort illness.

In order to console myself and reflect on dads life I took myself off to Abbotts Wood in the vain hope that I would get a final sighting.

I walked right through the wood and back again , checking all of the spots where I had sightings previously but despite good weather - nothing. Dissappointed I sat down by a large oak to eat my sandwiches before heading home.

Just then I spotted a movement in the gloom beneath the oak. Thinking to myself 'White Admiral' I casually walked across to see a very battered Emporer perched on the trunk where it seemed there was a sap run. I took a couple of poor snaps of what what was surely my last encounter of this year and felt very contented.

As I walked back across the track to get my bag I glimpsed a movement out of the corner of my eye and immediately froze. Sure enough it was himself come to say goodbye. As I stood there he circled me three times, clearly showing purple from his one intact wing, before landing on my shoulder for a second and flying back to the sap run.

It was the end of the season and I will leave it to you think what it meant to me in the circumstances - but it was a very special moment.

In my end is my beginning

Showing an egg about to hatch, with the larva's black head prominent, and a standard middle aged egg. When freshly laid they are a uniform blue-green.

In the wild, iris eggs have (almost certainly) all hatched by now, and there is an even mix of 1st and 2nd instar around. They almost invariably eat the egg case top and sides on hatching, leaving the egg case base intact. This can remain on the leaves for weeks.

The flight season is ended, but in my end is my beginning...