Purple Emperor - Favourite Photo of 2023

[Wurzel]

Purple Emperor - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 13

Well now we’re into 2024 for a bit of a bang from this weeks Favourites! The days are getting longer and soon the Sightings threads will start filling up, brilliant! In the meantime let’s crack on with the Favourites photos of 2023…

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Purple Emperor

This year I decided to not bother with His Nibbs. After seeing him every year since my fist ever sighting way back when He has always been a little reticent when it came to allowing me to take His photo. Often the best I can manage is a brutally heavily cropped shot from a great distance hence why this year I decided to visit Garston Wood and just enjoy the White Admirals and Silver-washed Frits. When I arrived it was a bit murky and so the butterflies were all grounded and I filled my boots with the various Browns and a beautifully fresh Painted Lady while I waited for the sun to come out. At the end of my walk I was dive bombed by His Nibbs, who had obviously taken rancour at m ignoring Him and when I walked back down the main track I bumped into a butterflier that I’d seen several times before who had received an audience in the car park while having his lunch. As I was heading off I carried on but hung around for a little bit just in case. I couldn’t believe it when His Nibbs did a few passes and eventually came down to investigate the tyres on the neighbouring car to mine. Unfortunately He was in the shade so I only got a hint of purple but it’s the closest that I’ve been for a fair few years!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[overthepass]

My first photo is from Tugley Wood (Chiddingfold Forest) in late May. After a bit of the usual faffing around in not ideal conditions, a couple of PEs descended from the trees and started circling around at low level. One settled briefly and was off, but the other settled a few metres away down the track so I started my usual cautious approach, taking shots as I closed in just to get something on the record. All went well, as the butterfly stalked over to an object of interest, and I thought my luck was in. Well, it was sort of, as the PE stayed very obligingly. Slight drawbacks were, first, that the light conditions generated only a limited amount of purple, secondly, that the butterfly was one which looked as though it had been around the block a bit, and thirdly that the material which it found so irresistible was a bit of very old rope or similar covered in the tattered remnants of a dayglo plastic covering, arguably even less photogenic than the usual fox scat. However, as the butterfly was so well behaved, it would be churlish not to include it.

A trip to Knepp on a hot day in early July produced plenty of sightings, although by then the PEs were staying up in the trees. Some were quite low down, attracted by the sap runs on the oaks, whilst other were keeping their vantage points higher up.

[bugboy]

A trip to Chiddingfold produced the goods (had I not been chasing Large Blue the following day I'd have had an even better encounter there when Millerd had seven (SEVEN) all to himself!)

A few days later I was at Knepp and added them to my in-cop list!

[millerd]

...when Millerd had seven (SEVEN) all to himself!)...

That was a rather extraordinary day down at Chiddingfold, Paul, and I'm not sure which aspect was the most surprising - seeing seven Emperors (mostly grounded) or there being no one else in the wood with whom to share the experience.

Unsurprisingly, I took a lot of photos - some of which featured in lengthy posts in my personal diary. I've selected just a few of those.

Dave

[Wolfson]

Spectacular as the Purple Emperor is, I don’t make any effort to see it. Partly because our paths usually cross and partly because of the “popularity” (Millerd’s exception noted) of the reliable sites. Last season was no exception and a morning looking for Purple Hairstreak yielded a few sightings. No groundings but some nice clear relaxed views. A few weeks later, I filled my boots with Emperors of various sorts including a very confident male flexing his wings while taking nourishment from a damp path. If I had to choose, I would probably go for the Cambridgeshire photograph, but, not sure.

[David M]

Love the iridescent glow on that last pic, Wolfson.