Fat Lady Thwarted

She didn't sing today, infact she had a Nordik walking pole firmly stuffed down her throat. I toured the main Savernake male territories. All were blank bar the best one (the Dead Beech Glade) which produced no less than 3 males. They produced one glorious clash and chase involving all three, and several chases of pairs. The dominant male saw off a red kite (already on the PE hit list). All three were worn and a little frayed about the edges. Looks like there should be one left next weekend, though the following might be the last photo of the (lousy) 2011 iris season (top left) -

That's the good news. The worrying news is that the 2011 egg lay may be even worse than its predecessor...

The Humble Ringlet

During the duller periods of lesser Purple seasons, such as this, the People of Purple Pursuasion may wish to work the plebecite for aberrations. The humble Ringlet, hyperanthus, may be rewarding. Hyperanthus was, of course, one of the 50 sons of Aegyptus, who did bugger all other than begat 50 sons - all of whom were slaughtered on their wedding night by their brides. Here is ab arete, or is it ab caeca, I can't remember, photographed somewhere in the nether regions of the Empire this July.

Red Admiral Confusion

Many of us encountered numerous Red Ads in Purple Places this season. E.g., there was one every 50-75m along the rides in Fermyn Woods in early July. Red Ads also visited a lot of baits, natural and otherwise, this season. It seems there was a sizeable influx of Red Ads to the SE on the back of thunderstorms there on Tues June 28th.

Red Ads commonly set up territories in iris territories, though well below Emperor level. Indeed, one way of finding new Emperor territories is to look for Red Ad territories, and then look upwards.

Battling territorial Red Ads also chase each other about at speed, though usually not at irisian level - but we can at a distance mistake atalanta for iris because of this behaviour. Atalanta doesn't, however, engage in the classic circling squabble of iris males. Brothers c-album and cardui also chase each other about, sometimes high up - out of sight & out of mind, like iris. So we can confuse these lesser mortals for the Monarch of all the Butterflies at a distance. Beware of false prophets, for many will come in His name... A male Emperor will, of course, see off any of this riff-raff.

Here is a couple of pix of a male Red Ad that adopted Brother Neil as a perching point below the Marlpost Wood North Gate iris territory this season. Red Ad males are almost ubiquitous here during the Purple season -

Note the use of Grecian 2011 in the above pic... It proved, though, useless as a bait for iris.

Digression

Today, 26th July, as a minor digression, I watched a fresh male Duke of Burgundy Fritillary beating up a male Dingy Skipper - before they both took on a couple of Small Skippers, one of which later proved to be an Essex Skipper. I think this is the first time His Grace has tangled with his arch rival during the Purple Emperor season.

His Grace needs his own website, but in the meantime is welcome on this website where he will forever be known as The Duke of Burgundy Fritillary (once a king and queen in Narnia, always a king and queen in Narnia - Aslan said that). Here he is, on a late summer flower no less -

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Greetings from the 2012 Purple Emperor season... on its way. Skin changing to 2nd instar.

Some Purple Bits

Over the weekend just gone we had a trip to Fermyn, hoping for some late season action; alas it was not to be!

We did have a very brief fly-by male in the wood during the very cold northerly wind on Friday, but torrential rain overnight to the Saturday will probably have finished them off!

Roll on next year, and hoping for a better sequence of rest days.

FROM RICHARD DUNN

bucksbucksoxon

It's winding down here, too: just 3 females seen in two different woods today.
The attached photos, taken by Malcolm Brownsword during our field trip to Bernwood earlier this month, shows HIM allowing one of his Admirals first bite at the cherry [synonym for dog poo].