Old Records

Are we sure that the earliest record from the 1890s wasn't a released specimen?

When looking at the iris collection at the London Natural History Museum, all the released specimens stuck to pins were nearly always early dates.

Liz

Bookham Breaks Record!

Gentlemen, Lady, you are looking at the earliest Purple Emperor recorded in the UK since 1893!

This male was photographed at Bookham Common yesterday, Monday June 13th, by Surrey butterflyer Rob Hill. So once again Bookham romps home, albeit ridden by a substitute jockey as its resident rider Ken Willmott is on holiday in Bulgaria (supposedly, before iris begins...). Congratulations to Rob, who should now be suffering from an almighty hangover ... . And congratulations to Bookham.

Meanwhile, I searched hard at Alice Holt yesterday but saw none (and rather struggled to see camilla and paphia, and failed to see quercus there). None of my captive pupae is showing through (though they don't until late on), and the forecast after today is poor.

pupation and emergence

To add to Peter's and Matthew's results this year: I had 3 larvae which pupated on the 23rd May, 5th June, and 8th June. The average pupation time has been 20 days +/- 5 days, giving emergence dates of 14/6, 25/6, and 28/6. I released these three in a local Bucks wood a few days ago.

Purple Emperor now out! One seen at Bookham Common today at 2pm by Rob Hill!

Latest Betting, and Splatting

The betting on the first iris of the year has altered, not least because Ken Willmott's gone off to Bulgaria for 2 weeks (v iris, ilia and metis). The odds are now:-

3-1 Neil Hulme, Southwater Woods, W Sussex

5-1 Ken Willmott, Bookham Common, Surrey

7-1 Matthew Oates or Tony Baines, Alice Holt, Hants

8-1 Wendy Campbell, Piddington Wood, Oxon

10-1 Bar

Latest Prediction: Tues June 14th, High Noon.

It could be you... It has to be someone...

Please TEXT Matthew Oates on 07771 971488, or email matthew.oates@nationaltrust.org.uk, or Tweet http://twitter.com/NTMatthewOates immediately.

However, the cool May has prevented the all-time record being broken. This remains 'Beginning of June' in the New Forest 1893, followed by 10th June 1893, West Woods, Marlborough, Wilts - unless anyone has uncovered any earlier records?


Meanwhile, Brother Douglas photographed the following outrage in a Northamptonshire wood. We're not certain that the large green larva is iris, but as a precaution we recommend that All Great Splatted Woodpeckers Be Exterminated at once. My cat has been briefed.

Pupation on Leaf Upperside!

I've noticed that one of the captive-bred Purple Emperor larvae has pupated on the upper surface of a Sallow leaf - something I've never seen before, but this was known to Frohawk as stated in his classic "A Natural History of British Butterflies"!

Here We Go!

This is Aaron, seen yesterday afternoon leaving his feeding spray 2m above ground, crawling at speed down branch, ascending a main stem, and vanishing into the canopy 4 mins later. The pale tip and feet indicate that he is ready to pupate.

It seems that most full grown iris larvae ascend to the tops before pupating, but they are annoyingly difficult to spot there (if you think watching the adults gives you neck ache, try scanning sallow crowns for pupae - you need to lie down on the ride and scan with binoculars, which seriously upsets dog walkers...).

Yesterday, two out of six wild larvae had already ascended, Aaron went up whilst I was watching, and the other three will probably start to pupate midweek. So, it looks as though most will have pupated by next weekend. At home, two-thirds have pupated and the others are pupating.

As Dennis's data indicate, the time spent in the pupal state is determined by June weather, and the insect can get trapped in the pupal stage by poor weather (I recorded pupae lasting 28 days during the Silver Jubilee Rains of 1977).

We have an anticyclone coming over this week, which suggests that we should start looking for adults over the weekend of June 18th-19th, but that might change as much depends on the second week of June.

There is, at this range, a serious chance of breaking the record for the earliest ever iris appearance, and the hunt is on. Early betting is as follows -

6-4 on Favourite: Bookham Common & Ken Willmott

3-1 Southwater Woods & Neil Hulme + friends.

4-1 Alice Holt & Tony Baines, Ashley Whitlock

10-1 Somewhere and Someone else...

It could be you... The Heslop Cup will be awarded to the winner.

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