The Champagne is on Ice

 I have searched and searched and searched. I've waited and waited and waited...

...for over 50 years in fact. I never ever thought that this moment would come. But now it has!

I now have a bottle of Moet & Chandon in my fridge and, when it is suitably chilled, I shall raise a glass to this amazing creature. I shall then raise another glass to mark the occasion: one incredible encounter, which has produced a moment of sublime happiness. I shall then raise a further glass to my Emperoring buddies (John Wiltshire, Richard Smyth, Mark Joy et al. and, especially, my son Elliott), who are all out there pursuing their dreams, hoping to capture a similar experience. And, lastly, (you probably get the picture by now!) I raise a glass to all of you and hope you have your moment like this sometime in the not-too-distant future, because if you are reading this you will no doubt realise what this moment means.

No more words; the picture says it all!

Male Purple Emperor ab. lugenda, Chambers Farm Wood, Lincolnshire

Sat July 17th: Scorchio!

Briefly, as I'm knackered after working a rather poor evening flight till 8pm...

The Purple Emperor is now at or rapidly approaching peak just about everywhere. Numbers seem low (similar to 2020) in most of the South East and much of Essex, due to the impact of last August's heatwave there. Elsewhere, it looks as though numbers are up on last year, but it's early days still...

At Knepp, males are still emerging and there are probably a good number of females still to come. Males are busy sallow searching during the mornings, then setting up territories in the oaks, but becoming quiscent from 2.30 before rousing a little in the evening. Females are about. Crucially, the sallows are now in excellent condition for the laying females, and will be for 1st instar larvae.

Good to hear that numbers have picked up considerably in Bucks Best Wood (a privately owned wood managed with Emperors strongly in mind), after a shocker there last year; and that 19 were seen today in Hatfield Forest; and that the butterfly was behaving badly at Woodwalton Fen today.  

Tomorrow, go early or late; skip the heatwave part from 3-5pm.  

Two Days at Fermyn.

Decided to take the plunge and visit Fermyn Woods on Friday and Saturday. I arrived at 7.30 and left at around 17.30 on the first day. As predicted Friday was very hot and the Purple Emperors I saw were coming down but not staying long, lots of action overhead with at least one female seen. Others had more success but groundings seemed relatively brief. Altogether I saw around 20+. I did have the added bonus of also seeing Black, White-letter and Purple Hairstreaks well at the end of the day, and I was told a Lunar Hornet Clearwing was also seen.

Saturday morning was much better Emperor wise. No sooner had I arrive around 9.00 than I was soundly 'trousered', a few steps later and one, two, three and four males were down tucking into delights that the kind dog walkers had left them. These four were down for a good time, so observers had one each to photograph as they arrived. The main activity of groundings seemed to tail off at around 10.00 but one or two were still coming down up to 11.00. I left for home at around 12.00, having seen around 10 in a small area near the wood piles in Lady Wood.

 

FRi July 16th

Briefly, as I didn't finish until 8pm (when the Emperor was still flying...)

Redid the Knepp PE transect (too windy and cloudy yesterday) but only got 16, including 3 females. Par would have been 22. I probably should have started half an hour earlier as they became heat suppressed from 2.30.

Crucially, a lot of territories only have single occupants this year, and there's little other aerial biodiversity flying around the oak tops - so males are not very active. So I may have under-recorded.

At least 4 males feeding down on the ground at Knepp today, the first from 9 to 10am, the last at 6.30pm.

Female seen egg laying at 11.15, laying 4 eggs in 2 broad-leaved sallows. 

Very poor year for Purple Hairsreak here - oaks damaged by late frosts.

Elsewhere, good to hear of one seen down on a ride at Dene Park, Kent today - We hardly hear from Kent...  Also, several seen at Bentley Wood, Wilts, today. 

Best of all, PEs have been seen in Leics and Rutland these last two days, including at Bardon Hill and in Coalville Meadows - been seen at 7 Leics & Ruts Wildlife Trust reserves these last three years!

The butterfly will be at peak everywhere this weekend. To the woods, the lot of you: get trousered. NB the A43 is closed at Silverstone. NB PEs likely to conk out between 2.30 and 5.30 in the forecast heat, but will put on good evening flights if calm. Enjoy...

 

ADVICE: GO LEEWARD

 ADVICE TO ALL GOING EMPERORING IN THIS OR ANY OTHER BREEZE: GO LEEWARD, DO NOT LOOK ON WINDWARD EDGES. GET OUT OF THE WIND, TO SHELTERED EDGES. I DON'T CARE WHAT OTHER MISTAKES YOU MAKE IN LIFE, BUT DON'T LOOK FOR EMPERORS IN WINDY SPOTS.

AT THE STILL POINT OF THE TURNING WORLD ... THERE THE DANCE IS...

St Swithun...

Clouded up at Knepp around lunchtime. Thereafter, activity was intermittent and highly localised. A brisk N wind didn't help, though it dropped late on as the cloud thickened. Attempted the Knepp PE transect but had to give it up, will try again tomorrow.

I saw 40 Emperors (all male), the last of which I nearly ran over on my ebike at 6.30pm, down feeding in very dull conditions. Two other fresh males seen down on the rides at Knepp today, which is a lot for here (they're primarily oak sap feeders here). Around 1pm Neil had a tumbledown (mated female rejecting male advances by spiralling down) land between his feet! Again, some appalling intra-male behaviour and scenes of drunkeness and brawling, especially around sap bleed oaks.

Elsewhere, first Emperors of the year seen in Hatfield Forest today (Essex was also hit by the severe drought that wilted sallows in the SE last August).  

One male seen in Sherwood Forest, Notts; 6-8 males seen in Foxley Wood, Norfolk. Incredibly, Chiddingfold Forest on the Sussex  / Surrey border only kicked off yesterday.  

This butterfly is now at peak at most sites. Make the most of the coming weekend...  Enjoy...

 Sherwood Forest Nottinghamshire

Iris had not been seen in this ancient forest for about 40 years. Then, last July, Nick Brownley came across this damaged specimen on a cycle path. Subsequently, he and his wife Sam found four larvae in the vicinity. They lost track of these four during the winter. This year, they found another five larvae, and eventually eight pupae [!], two of which were not from the larvae. Two of the pupae were predated, and, of the six left, five adults emerged with one to go at the time of writing this blog. Considering Nick and Sam had no previous iris experience, this is a remarkable achievement. It suggests that there is a reasonable population in this vast forest. Yesterday, Nick saw the first wild specimen. Together with Chambers Farm Wood Lincolnshire, this is the most northerly habitat in the UK so far recorded.