millerd

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:53 pm

Thank you, Goldie - the in-flight shots of those male butterflies were complete luck, as I was trying to take pictues of the female on the bramble! The males kept interrupting...

Many thanks, Pauline - I was quite pleased with that one, but then things became harder over the next few days as you'll see. However, there was some more success too.

Monday 22nd June. Back to Chiddingfold, though I had a narrower window of opportunity than I would have chosen. Over three hours, no Emperors were seen, though I found a few other things to keep me amused.

: Emperor bait attracts other butterflies too

: Quite a few in one of the clearings

: Also attracted by something noxious on the ground

On my way home I went through some hefty showers, so at the time I didn't regret leaving.

In the afternoon of 22nd, the sun returned and during a couple of hours walking on my local patch I clocked up over 150 butterflies of 15 species, two of which were newcomers for the year - a single Essex Skipper and a couple of Ringlets. I didn't get shots of either, but some of the usual customers obliged happily enough.

The Commas really are a delight here at the moment - great substutute for the local lack of fritillaries!

Dave

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:35 pm

I saw my first Hedgie today Dave wahoo!

Cracking Comma shots especially the final one

PE hunting has been quite tricky this year and now with the wind I don't see it getting any easier

I think you've done mighty fine considering

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:43 pm

Thanks, Wurzel - well done on the Hedge Brown!

I've still to see another... Things did improve on the PE front, but not just yet.

Tuesday 23rd June. Warm sunshine, and back down to Chiddingfold again. An earlier start this time but after several hours of patient searching, still no showing of anything Imperial. However, something purple did appear when one of the several sets of eager eyes at the Triangle spotted a Purple Hairstreak wander down from the canopy to sit at around head-height. This soon attracted quite an audience and became the most photographed butterfly of the day.

Again, there were a good selection of other species to look at (including some rather tired first brood Wood Whites - which still refused to stop in their increasingly slow meanderings).

I found a Small Skipper puddling, though just the one. A shame they don't congregate in the way they do abroad.

A White Admiral posed remarkably well considering the warm sunny conditions - I think this may be a female.

I called it a day at lunchtime, but would return again on 24th, when the weather would have heated up further.

Dave

trevor · Post by **trevor** » Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:22 pm

Yes, last week was frustrating but interesting and enjoyable at the same time.
As always it was good to see many of the regular faces and have a catch up.
More importantly we both came away with some worthwhile images.

Might see you next week if the weather forecast improves.

Stay well,
Trevor.

David M · Post by **David M** » Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:33 pm

Always frustrating when Emperors fail to show up, Dave, but Silver Washed Fritillaries, White Admirals and Purple Hairstreaks must provide some solace?

Hard to know what to predict with the PE behaviour over the next week or so. This weather is all over the place; either glorious or hideous with nothing in between. I wish you luck when the sun and warmth finally return.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:44 pm

Love the Purple Hairstreak images among the cracking most recent set Dave

As they only rarely open up I don't know why they weren't called the Silver Hairtreak to be honest?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:01 pm

It was a very sociable week indeed, Trevor, and it was great to see so many familiar faces and exchange sightings and experiences, and to meet a few new faces as well.

It is a bit of a pity the Emperors weren't quite playing ball, but that seems to be part of their attraction - not to follow their own "rules" necessarily. If they were utterly predictable, a whole dimension would be lost from the enjoyment we all have from this highpoint of the season.

As you say, David, this particular spot always has plenty of other interest on offer, and this year has provided the unusual spectacle of both broods of Wood Whites flying together at the same time as the Emperors, White Admirals, Marbled Whites and both Silver-washed and Dark Green Fritillaries. There are probably not many places that can boast that kind of entertainment.

That Hairstreak was very new, Wurzel, and there were hints of iridescence about it - subtle greens and blues over the silvery-grey ground colour. They wear to a sort of pale lilac dove-grey in the end...

On the way home on 23rd June, I made the detour via Dawney's Hill to see if any Silver-studded Blues remained, and also to see if the warm weather had brought the Graylings out. As far as I could tell, there were as yet no Graylings (even standing still in the open areas failed to attract the first inquisitive males as would work like a charm should any be flying), but I counted around 20 male SSB, plus about half as many females. The latter are hard to see and I no doubt missed a few. The heather flowers here have not recovered much from the late frost as they have elsewhere, and are rather sparse to start with: I found males nectaring on low-growing brambles and generally well-dispersed across the site presumably searching out flowers.

I also saw a few Small Heaths, Meadow Browns and Small Skippers.

Dave

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:32 pm

Wednesday 24th June. The first of three sunny and particularly hot days (Heathrow recorded the highest temperature on record for the date: 32.6). Down to Chiddingfold again, and despite the appearance of a persistently grounded Purple Emperor, it feels in retrospect a slightly frustrating day. The insect mentioned appeared early, being down on the ground at the highpoint before 0900. During its initial audience, it was seen to be less than perfect and showing wear and tear. Nevertheless, it remained down for some considerable time, and I think everyone in the wood got to see it at least once. Collectively, the probable best achievement of the day was the discovery of a valesina female Silver-washed Fritillary. However, only the lucky discoverer of this beauty got to see it, but he came away with some stunning photos and several of the rest of us spent quite a while searching in vain for it. Overall, a great deal of searching was done, but apparently no other Emperors appeared until later in the day after many of us had left again. Today was perhaps the busiest of the week in terms of people there, so the most sociable - but in the end perhaps the least rewarding.

First thing, butterflies were a bit less active and posed quite well in the slightly more golden light of early morning.

It may be my imagination, but White Admirals this year seem to have suffered less damage than usual and have posed for photos more often with intact wings.

Here is the much photographed Emperor - not showing any purple at all, just the long shadow from his early appearance! The second photo was taken over an hour after the first.

Dave

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:39 pm

Thursday 25th June. Perhaps slightly hotter than Wednesday, it was once again hard work down in the Woods of Chiddingfold.

The early morning sighting of interest today was of this brand new Painted Lady breakfasting on some thistles.

However, it wasn't long before reports of Purple Emperor sightings started to come in from all directions, and I had several flybys during the morning. Typical behaviour today was for the butterfly to come down, sit for a few seconds in shade or semi-shade, cruise along the ride for a few casual wingbeats and then repeat. Finally, after a last investigation of a likely patch, the Emperor would head sideways into the trees and disappear (probably to double-back high up and return to the original spot!

). Following such highspeed skipping flights along the paths proved futile, but gave us plenty of exercise in the hot sunshine!

Various places had been baited with tempting substances, and proved their efficacy by attracting Commas, Red Admirals, White Admirals and even a Silver-washed Fritillary.

Around 1100, P.J.Underwood arrived and mentioned that on his way down from the Botany Bay entrance, no fewer than three different Emperors had been on the ground at one point or another. I was already headed that way, and sure enough about three-quarters of the way back, I watched one circle around and land on the gravel path. For once it remained in place, and after allowing it a few minutes to become engrossed, I started to take a few photos. It had chosen a spot where the shade of some oak branches moved back and forth causing constant changes in the light, but in compensation the butterfly remained perfectly still, with its wings flat on the ground.

Eventually it became restless and retired to a nearby bit of bracken to clean its proboscis, unwittingly choosing a very suitable sunlit spot to be photographed from the side.

After that welcome bit of success, I decided that I had had enough of the heat for the day - and there would be another opportunity to come on Friday.

Dave

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Wed Jul 01, 2020 9:27 am

I had to stop reading your latest post Dave and go and get a bucket so I could continue to read whilst being sick with envy

That's the type of experience I was hoping for this year with His Nibbs but wasn't granted an audience

Oh well maybe next year (which will fit in with the three year cycle

)

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

kevling · Post by **kevling** » Wed Jul 01, 2020 7:07 pm

Dave, I'll borrow the bucket after Wurzel. They are cracking shots of the Emperor. Also like the Purple Hairstreak from your previous post too. Not any easy butterfly to get close to either.

Kind Regards
Kev

David M · Post by **David M** » Wed Jul 01, 2020 8:47 pm

Great work with the Emperor, Dave. This could be one of those frustrating years when very few are given 'audiences' on the ground like that.

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Wed Jul 01, 2020 9:24 pm

Cheers, Wurzel - I was lucky to have an amazingly compliant butterfly that sat motionless with its wings spread. If only they were all as easy...

Thanks, Kev - I'd never have known the Hairstreak was there if someone else hadn't spotted it, and it also sat quite happily for quite a while.

Maybe, David - but perhaps I was on a roll...

You may want to have that bucket handy for the next post too...

Friday 26th June. The overnight thunderstorms were to the east (Trevor said he'd been woken by one at around 0400), but there was still a bit of rain overnight. Nevertheless it quickly became hot and sunny again, and I was off on the commute to Chiddingfold once again.

As ever, there were some good curtain raisers before the main event. First along was a Wood White, soon identified as a second brood individual and one of at least half a dozen seen during the morning.

Next was a Silver-washed Fritillary, one of increasing numbers appearing now.

Then as the time approached 1000 I found a nicely posed Marbled White.

Around twenty past ten, I was wandering hopefully along the bit of ride by the logpiles where the SWF valesina had been seen earlier in the week. Looking up, I spotted the familiar graceful circling of a Purple Emperor trying to decide exactly where to land. After a couple of aborted attempts, it selected a spot and settled. It was, however, somewhat restless and wandered around on the ground in an area that was under the trees and therefore constantly changing between light and shade and all points in between. The good part was that it didn't seem to be about to take off again and lead me a dance down the path, so I carefully approached and tried to get a decent angle on it. I ended up with a lot of shots, taken on a variety of settings to try and take account of the variable light: They are perhaps not as sharp as I would have liked, but I did achieve quite a bit of glorious purple...

Eventually, it closed its wings, coinciding with the arrival of a neophyte enthusiast who had never seen an Emperor before and was greatly thrilled to see it.

With all the extra attention, it finally became unsettled and retired to a nearby tree.

I had one further flyby sighting, but the encounter decribed above marked the zenith of this year's Purple Emperor season for me. All the hours of patient plodding, the chasing skittish butterflies down rides in the heat, the knees lacerated by the Forestry Commission's very best sharp gravel, were well worth it.

It has been as always a very sociable and thoroughly enjoyable time, with much chat with a whole variety of folk - some very familiar faces who it is always a great pleasure to see again, and some new ones it was good to meet and get to know. Forgive me if I don't name everyone (I'm bound to forget one or two names and that would be embarassing!). There has also been an excellent supporting butterfly cast as well, keeping those many minutes waiting for the Imperial presence filled with interest.

Dave

trevor · Post by **trevor** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:13 am

Congrats. for your Emperor conquests Dave. On both occasions I was in the wrong area.
A certain law has plagued my PE season this year.

I must award a mrgreen for both of your closed wing on foliage shots, and the encounter above.

Keep well,
Trevor.

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:56 am

Well done on getting the all four wings purple shots Dave

Like you say, a nice supporting cast too.

Cheers,

Neil.

Goldie M · Post by **Goldie M** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:22 am

Fantastic Emperor shots Dave

It certainly is a fantastic looking Butterfly when the Sun catches those wings

Nothing but rain here at present

Goldie

David M · Post by **David M** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 2:11 pm

You cracked it, Dave!

Ten out of ten!

Pauline · Post by **Pauline** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 2:27 pm

Best images of PE I've seen this season Dave. Your persistence paid off

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 5:58 pm

Thanks for the bucket warning Dave it most definitely needed - especially for 'four wings purple shots'

I do have a theory though that it was only because of the 'newbie' that it behaved so well - so next year I'm going to drag along a complete newbie and get the to walk bout 3 metres ahead of me so that I can nip in and get a load of shots when an Emperor lands on them

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:56 pm

Many thanks to all of you for the appreciation of that rather splendid Purple Emperor.

It was definitely a case of saving the best till last and of persistence and patience paying off in the end. That makes it sound a bit like a chore, but it certainly wasn't - it was a great week or so down at Chiddingfold, and we were lucky with the weather considering what has followed for the remainder of June and for July so far.

The last four days of June were much cooler, much cloudier and distinctly breezy with some rain. I spent my time out on my local patch whenever it was bright or actually sunny, with a couple of wanders down to Staines Moor (on 28th and 30th) as well. There were plenty to see of the common species, and there were subtle changes afoot with the mix. Essex Skippers now outnumbered Small; new broods of Holly Blue, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Copper, Green-veined White and Peacock were starting to appear; Red Admiral numbers were building as well, with lots of new examples. On 29th (the best of these days), a rough count gave me around 170 butterflies of 15 different species. I shall try and single out a few of the better butterflies from this period - a daily record might be a bit repetitious!