![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Well David, wonder no more
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Thanks Goldie
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
26th June (part 1)
Time for my first effort of the year to find the Purple One at Bookham. The past two years have been rather good here compared to previous years, not the dozens that come down at other Emperor meccas but then you only need one to make your day really. I’d heard word that the first had been seen the previous week so now seemed like a good time to try my luck
It was quite a gloomy start to the day but not cold and there was the promise the gloom would lift for a sunny mid-morning. In the meantime I passed the time with a few critters who aren’t bothered by a bit of gloom. Upon reaching the most well-known Emperor master trees (should be called arenas really in my book) a largish butterfly shot past me, did a few circuits and landed on the bracken just long enough for a couple of distant record shots before shooting off again to the other side of the clearing. Just a Painted Lady but still worth following in the absence of anything else, until that is I caught sight of something out the corner of my eye which instantly made me forget all about the Lady. He sat there like a true star, doing his best to warm up. Occasionally a bit of breeze caught him, causing him to close his wings giving me the chance to get both sides. I’d just messaged Millerd who said he was on his way and to not let him get away when…. when he got away. I slight brightening in the light levels sent him up to join his buddys, sorry Dave
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
By the time Dave arrived it had brightened up enough for a bit more activity. Silver-washed Frits and White Admirals were now awake, along with good numbers of Large Skippers. A few tatty, exhausted Painted Ladies were around but our attention was drawn to a much fresher individual, if it wasn’t home grown then it emerged not far over the Channel for sure! At the next sunny glade we found both White and Red Admirals worthy of our attention. Later in the day we would be cursing this particular Red Admiral! Also here was a White Admiral that seemed to be lacking somewhat in the white dept. It never landed unfortunately so we were left wondering what it would have looked like. We hadn’t yet had a sniff of an Emperor, and since it was now well into the afternoon we decided to head back to the master trees, getting another even briefer glimpse of a Black Admiral. It looked to have even less white markings and it was a fair distance from the other one so we surmised it was a second insect, no photo evidence though
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Tbc