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...
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
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