Emperor

[Paul Brock]

Photo of accommodating Purple Emperor male taken at Bentley Wood, on dung, 4 July 2008, the closest I came to seeing purple on all wings!
Camera: Minolta Dynax 7D
1/ Handheld
2/ Flash (yes - macro, using all four light switches, as only hazy sun)
3/ Aperture (F16)
4/ Shutter speed (auto)
5/ ISO (200)
6/ aperture priority, autofocus

[daveyboy]

Thats a nice shot mate,shows the rich coloration and has plenty of detail and sharpness.I hope I will one day be lucky enough to get as close to one of those as you did.

[Paul Brock]

daveyboy

Thanks, I was lucky enough to have a whole hour with this beauty and get to within a few inches of it. Even so, I am annoyed to have missed 1) a photo showing 'purple' on all four wings (there is always next year, assuming the angle of the wings / light is absolutely spot on!) and 2) having returned to the dung after a lunchtime snack, I disturbed a Red Admiral and didn't realise the Emperor was right behind it. You've guessed it, I could have had a gem of a picture, but had to settle for photos of the Emperor and Red Admiral when it returned to the other end of the dung.

Good luck in future....

[bugmadmark]

Just registered - so im a newbie - but felt I had to make a comment on this pic straight away - Fantastic shot! I know its good to be hypercritical about pics - but actually I quite like the fact that it doesnt show purple on all four wings as I feel this demonstrates this species colouration beautifully! Having said this I've NEVER seen one for real. Ive friends that used to see them in Monks Wood flying high up in the trees near Huntingdon - but not certain if they are there that often. One day though! Perhaps I need to bait a few damp open glades with (fresh?) dung! I now own a Canon EOS 400D and am planning on purchasing a suitable macro lens and flash system for close up work. I'd be interested to know which focal length lens you used and which flash system you used with your Minolta and how it was set up - the lighting is very nice - not flat at all (I used to use ring flashes - but never liked the effect they created).

Kind regards
Mark

[Paul Brock]

Mark

Thanks for your comments. I used a Minolta 50mm macro lens (1:1 ratio), with Minolta Macro flash attached to the macro lens [the kit consists of an adapter ring screwed on the lens, a lighting unit placed over the ring, connected to a control unit mounted on the camera's accesory shoe]. In indifferent light, all four lights probably need to be on (as in this case), rather than just top, bottom or side lights. The flash helps to eliminate shadows. I think a dedicated macro lens would be most suitable, although expensive. Many people prefer a 100mm macro lens, but I mainly take pictures of stick insects (including dead specimens) so 50mm is ideal for me. I do use a 100-300mm lens for e.g. hairstreaks, or if an Emperor never came down..... There are other options for macro flash which you probably need to investigate, why not ask a general question in the forum, I'm sure there are plenty of Canon owners out there.

There is a good website to look at www.thepurpleempire.com with some amazing photos and details of how specimens were attracted. In some cases, bait has been used, but this male flew to fresh horse dung!

Regards and good luck for next season (this season probably about over for Purple Emperors, except for maybe tatty specimens)

Paul

[bugmadmark]

Hi Paul

Thank you for the details. I loved the site (and related humour). Some people just have all the luck. I had to chuckle at the Health and Safety references though as Health and Safety is actually my bread and butter. Now where can I get a Cherry Picker like theirs and how do I get it into the middle of Monks/Brampton Wood?!

For now, I just need to bring my photography skills up to scratch - I left insect photgraphy alone for over 10 years and all my stuff is on film. I used to rear many exotic insects, especially moths like the Indian Moon and Atlas moths, plus my favourite UK Emporer moth - the caterpillars are fab. I havent seen these in the wild for probably 15 years.

I resisted Digital for so long - but have dragged myself screaming into the 21st century - partly inspired by a friend of mine at work who has some cracking images (not to mention Canon gear that I'm highly envious of ), mainly of birds http://www.notjustbirds.com/index.html

Regards
Mark

[Paul Brock]

Mark

You'll have to do a Risk Assessment on the cherry picker....!

I moved to Brockenhurst in the New Forest in April this year, but still have a property in Slough, partly why I did not have time to search for Emperor moths around here, but there is always next year! I have been to two local moth evenings, both productive (Light Crimson Underwings at the last one). However, the range of butterflies in and around the New Forest has surprised me and also encouraged me to go out and photograph more, after a lapse of several years. I had only been here a short time when I found lots of Pearl-Bordered Fritillary up the road, then Small-Pearl Bordered F., Glanville F. etc. To my surprise I have already seen three Silver-Washed Fritillary female form valezina, two on one bramble bush. But I imagine you see some good 'bugs' in your neck of the woods....

Regards

Paul

[bugmadmark]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. You live in the best part of the world. Cambridgshire has a few good spots, but generally it's so heavily farmed there's not an enormous array of species. I used to live on the edge of an estate and as a teenager - I used to bait up my bedroom window with sugary mixtures, dung etc and shine 500w bulbs out over the fields. I used to get some interesting stuff in - including fab carrion beetles. My parents used to suggest I get a life and instead of having cages of captive bred butterflies and moths hanging from my bedroom ceiling, they suggested I go get a girlfriend! Not seen many insects these days - but then ive not got out and looked for them - something to do with having 3 kids. I don't think my wife would approve of the baiting technique either and with the soaring cost of electricitys the halogen floods will have to stay off. I did have a beautifulTiger beetle in the other day - but typically, my EOS 400D was with Canon having an underexposure problem rectified. My son also found a couple of lesser stag beetles in a garden in our village. I'd so like to stumble across true Stag beetles though - but thats more for your territory I guess - whereever the oak forests are. As for butterflies round here - they are mainly common grass butterlfies, incl meadow brown and gatekeepers in their 100s. The few wooded areas like Brampton are well known for White Admirals and Monks Woods has Purple Emporers although Ive never seen them. There's a place near Newmarket race course called Devils Dyke and this is supposedly good for Chalkhill Blues in their 100s???

I just received an email from the Natural History Museum and info on creation of new butterfly survival zones - as announced by Sir David Attenborough, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Feb at his book signing in the same museum. Very interesting idea - if they work. Check this out if you dont know about it already! http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2008 ... 14938.html

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Paul, Daveyboy and Mark,
Sadly the Emperor season is over but here's a tip for next year, to help you get purple showing on all four wings. Most people with 'proper photographer's' cameras (mine's just a 'point and push' jobby) tend to shoot from a little way back, 'across' the insect. Because of the way the iridescence works, that usually means a 'half and half' shot. Try getting directly above it - as long as the butterfly is pointing in the right direction relative to the sun, you should get the purple on all four. When it first lands, resist the temptation to get too close too quickly. While it wanders around constantly probing, it can still be spooked quite easily. Wait until it's found a nice source of mineral salts/moisture and stopped moving, then try it on. Paul, you mention that you photograph dead stick insects Sounds like you are just the sort of contributor that Purple Empire are always looking for! Here's a Fermyn Emperor in all his glory.
Neil

Purple Emperor Fermyn.jpg (254.1 KiB) Viewed 1054 times

[bugmadmark]

And this was taken on a 'point and push'? Some people have all the luck - ive never even seen a live one!
Mark

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Mark,
You live quite close to Fermyn (PE Mecca). Contact me in late June next year and I'll happily introduce you to the beastie. I will certainly be there for the best part of a week.
Neil

[Paul Brock]

Neil

I did see your fantastic pictures from Fermyn on the purpleempire website and marvelled at your skills. Thanks for the tip*, I'll try again next year! I'll blame the weather on 4th July (the sun was hazy, at best, meaning the wings only opened briefly from time to time, so the window of opportunity was minimal). I do have a short video film (somewhere) of a male at Bernwood Forest, Oxfordshire with glorious purple on all wings.

Regards

Paul
*I would be unpopular with other butterfly watchers if I scared the Emperor back into the trees though! My best pictures came when photographing with two other enthusiasts [attached]. When I was on my own with the Emperor after lunch, it failed to open it's wings at all.

[bugmadmark]

Paul - Another fantastic picture! I think this one is really worthy of a caption or two - especialy by those less familiar with what you are upto! I'd suggest something myself but I'd be worried I'd offend

Neil - I think I'll try to take you up on that offer - thanks. Actually when I saw the name of the place it sounded Welsh or Celtic so I assumed (wrongly) it was out of my reach - but I see from a quick google that it's in Northants past Thrapston so less than an hour from me. Fantastic! If only I'd discovered this site earlier in the year as butterfly season approached! Perhaps by next year I'll have some better kit and hada chance to practice!

Mark

[Sooty]

I had no idea that shit was considered so special in the UK that everyone stops to photograph it. When I was a lad in Northampton it really wasn't that hard to find in the local park.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Paul,
Not sure about 'skills', but certainly dedication to the cause! When going in close, of course you are correct in observing etiquette if others are around. However, on one occasion at Fermyn this year, this ended up in a quite farcical situation (it's OK to laugh about it now, because the poor chap got his shots later that day). I was there early and after quite a lengthy wait, a pristine male started it's heart-stopping, quartering descent over one of my belachan baits. Just as it settled, a couple of chaps appeared from around a bend, one with more camera gear 'out front' than a T34 tank. So I waved him through with an "after you sir". Understandably (first experience, over-excitement) he was a little too clumsy and fast in approaching much closer than I thought he would, while constantly firing, and off it went. As he stood by the track reviewing his 'shots', I suggested that he 'must have got some good stuff there'. He turned to me, ashen-faced, and said "I forgot to put my memory card in". Oops!

[Paul Brock]

Neil

Great story, reminds me of the time I had the wrong setting on my camera, but I won't go into that. I do not have any more stories on the Purple Emperor, but my submission to BC Hamps & IOW for 15 July might amuse [seems like an eternity ago, since then found 2 x valezina in another locality on one bramble bush]:

Paul Brock sent the following records from Pignal Inclosure, New Forest ‘Having spotted Purple Hairstreaks in oaks near the entrance, I continued to an area good for Silver-Washed Fritillaries. A man ahead of me was stopping looking up at oaks, an obvious butterfly spotter! He appeared to be doing well, as when I reached oaks he stopped at, three Purple Hairstreaks flitted around. Then I saw Silver-Washed Fritillaries where he had stopped at bramble bushes. Nothing else for it, when he turned off at a track I do not normally take, I followed and there was the Silver-Washed form valesina I have longed to see since moving to Brockenhurst this spring! The man is a genius, he walked back along the path and I asked him what butterflies he had seen, only to quickly realise he was a tourist and couldn’t speak a word of English! In summary, in half an hour from 5.00pm recorded the following: 12 Silver-Washed Fritillary (including 1 x female form valesina and 1 x playful male), 1 White Admiral, 10 Purple Hairstreak, 2 Large White, 1 Ringlet, numerous Small & Large Skipper, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.