Benjamin

[David M]

So delighted that there's a happy ending to the monumental efforts you've put in researching these Emperors, Ben.

X2 looks absolutely radiant - it's not possible to see one fresher than that!

I love the drone footage too. It makes things seem so peaceful and serene, which isn't normally what one experiences when studying iris!

First class stuff.

[Pauline]

Much admiration for all you've achieved this season - great reporting.

[jonhd]

Simply brilliant, Ben. Thanks.

Jon

[Neil Freeman]

Just been catching up on your last few posts Ben. Excellent observations and reporting, great stuff

Cheers,

Neil.

[Benjamin]

Thanks to you all for your very kind comments after my last few posts.

I did spend a considerable amount of time monitoring the PE flight season, but only really to check that numbers on site were in line with predictions based upon thorough searches for pupae. This checked out fine with just a few males being observed around territories - the occasional chase and a couple of groundings at peak season being the highlights. The very small population at my most studied breeding ground around Southwater no doubt forms part of the much larger population present in the wider area, including of course, the impressive population a couple of miles down the road at Knepp. How far the average individual travels, and how much mixing goes on between individuals emerging in different blocks of woodland one can only guess, but as you can see from the drone footage of the area the surrounding landscape offers little in the way of barriers to a powerful and highly mobile insect that seems perfectly evolved to seek out suitable habitat over a wide area.

I have indeed taken something of a break from these studies over the last few weeks - partly due to family life during the school summer holidays but also because I’m not really able to add anything by searching relentlessly for eggs and young larvae. Unlike the searches for overwintering larvae and later in the summer, pupae, it is impossible to search the area thoroughly enough to discover the location of the majority of eggs or young larvae - clearly at this stage the numbers are just too high. Instead I settle for just a few days in the field to discover 20 or so eggs/larvae at well known locations and use these to give me some idea of survival rates at these early stages. I’ll keep the big search for October/November when the leaves fall and the silked-on leaves advertise the location of the hibernating L3s. A tree that would require an hour or more of searching to discover eggs/L1/2 larvae can then be searched in just 5-10 minutes.

Here are a few photos of some of the 20 or so discovered so far - nothing new here but you never know, perhaps the diary debut for a future star of a better drone attempt next year. No names until they enter diapause…..

I’ve also continued to have a very close look at small tortoiseshells and peacocks throughout the summer, with some unexpected 2nd brood peacocks adding to the workload just when the last of the small tortoiseshells had emerged. I’ve dedicated more time to this than anything else butterfly related since spring, and in collecting and rearing close to 1500 larvae at different stages and from a number of Sussex sites, have certainly furthered my own understanding of the complex host/parasitoid relationships that are at play. I’ll write up elements of that over winter or perhaps after I’ve checked a few things next year, but for now here are two batches of 2nd brood peacocks collected at L5 - the difference in fortunes due on this occasion to the wonderful Sturmia bella, present at one site and absent from the other.

100% success at L5 collection. Some ichneumonids were present but emerged at L4.

The carnage late season nettle feeders face with S.bella present. Ichneumonids also present but in much lower numbers (misleading photo!). 20% survival at L5 collection.

Late season small tortoiseshells with similar losses due to S.bella

To me it is a most aptly named fly and how anyone can call this noble defender of nettles an ‘ugly brute’ or a ‘nasty fly’ is beyond me!

Ok so yes, it is all a bit grim, but I do think the fly is magnificent and have thoroughly enjoyed rearing and releasing hundreds of them along with the other fascinating parasitoids one would expect to encounter. Much more to come on this.

[Wurzel]

That is quite a lovely looking fly despite it's dark lifecycle Looking forward to more details later on Ben, I find this aspect really interesting

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Thanks for the update, Ben. Seems like when most of us are winding down in late autumn your work is just beginning!

Fascinating (although somewhat macabre) details regarding the parasitoids. I shall look forward to your write-up on this.

[Benjamin]

It really is interesting isn’t it Wurzel. Of course we’re all aware that there’s a complex web of relationships/interactions underpinning the ecology of the butterflies we love to observe, but digging into it a bit, even in an amateurish way, really does bring substantial rewards, as many of those that read/contribute to these pages know very well.

Certainly plenty to keep me busy over the next few months David. The silked-on feeding leaves have started to appear, but with nearly everything else still well attached, I’ll wait another month or so to begin the full search. Here’s a little video of the first of the iris dangles to give anyone who wants to use this method to locate larvae an idea what to look for:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Pj25sU-rh9c?feature=share

They really are quite easy to spot. There are currently lots of dangles caused by other lepidopterans or spiders though, and we need to wait a while for these to blow off to clear the picture somewhat. Many of these dangles are caused by silk laid down earlier in the year, the purpose of which was to create safe walkways for larvae, and as such don’t take much of a wind to remove them. Iris dangles on the other hand are created by the deliberate silking-on of feeding leaves the autumn larvae know they must secure as leaf fall approaches. These can be extremely well attached at the petiole and can last well into the following year at least. At the risk of labouring this to an almost farcical degree, the dangles in the video are actually NOT well silked-on and will likely soon fall, as they were earlier feeding leaves of the L1/2 larva and it will likely be the leaves that the L3 larva currently feeds/rests upon that will be heavily silked and will become the dangles that will be obvious in late autumn/winter.

Now into year 3 of monitoring PE at this site, and with experience helping to streamline the operation, I’ve dedicated some freed up time to having a closer look at white admiral. I spent an afternoon in early August locating and marking a total of 82 larvae and have been checking in on them regularly since. Numbers have whittled away as expected, but plenty remain and have been busy constructing all sorts of hibernacula. I know Pete’s looked very closely at these and divided them up into different styles - to me it looks like anything goes but I’m sure his findings would hold if I looked a little closer. I don’t plan to spend too much time on white admiral, but it’d be nice to follow some out of hibernation next year and stay in touch for as long as possible - we’ll see….

This one seems very big. I wonder if he’s been tricked into feeding longer than he should to support something that’s about to emerge from within….

Around the woods iris cats are generally into L3 and are already much bigger and more healthy looking than some of the tiny L3s that struggled with drought last year. Their greens and yellows impressively matching the leaves as autumn approaches.

Red ads add some welcome drama to the late summer colours, and a parasitic wasp larva emerges from a vapourer(?) larva and overwinters (I guess) cunningly disguised as a miniature Friesian cow - hmmm.

[David M]

These 'dangles' look straightforward when seen on film like that, Ben. I only wish I lived in a part of the country where I could put that theory to the test.

[Wurzel]

"This one seems very big. I wonder if he’s been tricked into feeding longer than he should to support something that’s about to emerge from within…" like Kane in Alien...

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Benjamin]

Yes they’re really pretty straightforward David - it’s not a difficult species to find if you’re in the right place.

Indeed Wurzel - if you’re after some horror writing inspiration, you need only get the hand lens out and look in your own back garden……

I spent some more time wandering around my study site last week, not part of a thorough search, but just checking on some of the peripheral areas that look reasonable, but have not, so far, hosted larvae.

As expected I drew a blank for most of the day, but as the school pick up loomed and I was about to trudge back to the car I was delighted to find an L3 larva exactly where it should be. A low hanging straggly grey willow branch tucked away in half shade behind a ride side tree and producing those lovely tender leaves that egg laying mothers know their offspring will thrive on.

This was a very satisfying find, as I’ve always thought that l should find larvae here. There’s no point searching the area more thoroughly until I can use silked-on leaves, but now I know at least one egg laying female passed this way, I will look forward to searching the area so much more.

I also checked on the swollen white admiral caterpillar and found this:

Trying to get the distance right between hand lens and subject, and my phone and hand lens seemed problematic for my poor brain, so this was the best I managed. I decided to take it home to have a closer look:

I then decided to peel away the caterpillar skin to try and see the foreign body as a whole and inadvertently removed the outer sheath to reveal the sticky inner object.

I’m a bit unsure as to what has gone on here, so any thoughts would be much appreciated. As I mentioned in my previous post, I was half expecting this larva to be parasitised, but having never reared or thoroughly observed white admiral before, I can’t be sure what has happened in this case. If this is some sort of parasitoid then it seems too small to account for the difference between the swollen larva, and the hollow remains that were later found, but perhaps there were several and this was the only one that remained within the host carcass? It doesn’t really seem like a parasitoid pupa though - rather more like an egg. Or perhaps something else entirely? I even wondered if this could be a shed skin, with the larva making a doomed attempt at completing its development? This seems unlikely, but with no experience of white admiral I can’t really compare these remains with a recently shed L3 skin. Either way, with no leaves left on that particular honeysuckle, the larva has certainly come to the end of his journey.

Around the woods late season red admirals and large whites were the most frequently encountered butterflies.

[Benjamin]

Just a silly post but after witnessing one of the greatest heavyweight boxing performances for many years I was reminded of Oleksandr the caterpillar from back in the 19/20 season. Unfortunately back then I was even worse at achieving DOF in my photos, but he really was a stunning individual and one of my favourites for sure.

Oleksandr

AJ was also part of the named 20 that year. As it turned out they were both predated in early spring, tantalisingly close to surviving the long winter diapause. The difference would have been that Oleksandr would have known exactly what happened to him and why, whereas AJ’s disappearance would’ve seemingly come out of nowhere, a baffling bolt from the blue.

Levels my boys, levels.

AJ

[Wurzel]

That was an interesting find in the WA cat - hopefully someone else will be able to shed some light on it although it does have a certain egg like look about it Love the Large White shot - it looks like it's hovering in mid air

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Great larval images, Ben, and like you I'm intrigued by the predation of the WA cat - looks different to anything I've seen before.

Nice 'Padfieldesque' shot of the Large White too.

[millerd]

I continue to be impressed with (and envious of) your dedication and patience following the early stages of various species, Ben. It is absolutely fascinating, and it looks as though there could be discoveries just waiting to be made that are genuinely new. I shall be watching this space over the coming months to see what turns up.

Cheers,

Dave

[Benjamin]

Thanks for the comments and encouragement guys. I think in terms of the white admiral caterpillar, I will have to collect some next year and see what they produce - better get potting up some honeysuckle…

I should add some more photos of butterflies too - I do take a lot and generally try to go for context shots (I don’t want to mention Padfield as it sets the bar too high ). I am prone to slipping into photo hunting mode though, and I often find that conflicts with the fieldwork that I ultimately find more rewarding - I should try again to find a balance.

Yesterday I managed to clear a day to check in on the iris caterpillars. They’re pretty much all ready for the next stage now, having fed up nicely and reached L3 in good time. Now they just have to wait for the signal to depart the falling leaves and seek out a winter resting spot.

The woods were wet and autumnal, with a good variety of fungi on display. Last year the opening of the first fly agarics coincided with the iris cats departing their leaves and taking up their winter positions - it looks like the cats will hold out a little longer this year…..

I’ve taken a few photos of the residents of one particular tree. There were 6 here to begin with, but one has disappeared - I guess overcome but something small that wanders the twigs in search of a meal. The other 5 will probably make it to their winter spots, but they will do well to survive those long months - everything I’ve ever followed on this tree has been predated over winter. It must be an obvious target for marauding gangs of hungry tits.

Even with unfortunately high ISO the photos are gloomy, but I’ve tried to fairly reflect the conditions of an average autumn iris search. Even in bright sun (light cloud yesterday) the shaded locations are always hard to photograph. With leaves still thickly covering the trees only occasional rays of sun illuminate a caterpillar upon his leaf, and more often than not by the time I’ve figured out the appropriate settings for the shot, the sun has moved just enough to plunge the subject back into the gloom. Of course you can manipulate the branches to take more pleasing photos, but this annoys caterpillars of any age and certainly in later instars leads to them marching off to out of reach areas. So although these cluttered, grainy, gloomy pics might not be pleasing on the eye, they’re a much more accurate record of these autumn cats in context than I usually get from my iphone or my macro lens.

I think we’re still 2-3 weeks off commencement of the full search.

[David M]

I wish you luck with this during the coming months, Ben. You clearly are devoted to your craft and much as I love butterflies, the prospect of searching for larvae in the gloom of late autumn/early winter doesn’t hold a huge amount of appeal.

Nice to see the context images. Just reinforces the fact that even when things turn cold, butterflies and their early stages are still there, just awaiting the right moment.

[Benjamin]

Many thanks David. I think there’s something masochistic about it (having hurriedly checked the definition I’d like to stress that I don’t mean the sexual kind). It must stem from the knowledge (gained through experience) that the eventual payoff for success in a given task is directly proportional to the effort or even pain that is required to achieve it. When that task is repetitive, as with an annual search for caterpillars, the payoff necessarily reduces over time and I think perhaps in an attempt to maintain the payoff, the subconscious response is to increase the pain. Perhaps that’s why I still haven’t invested in a coat!? Oh dear - I’d better wrap this study up before any more items of clothing must be shed.

Today I popped into PE country to see how the leaf fall was progressing. This morning was cold. My fingers (well, one on each hand actually) were numb after an hour (good for the masochism I guess). This is fairly standard for me in anything but warm weather, especially when movement is limited as with a larval search. I should have been better dressed, but with the sun shining I had assumed a warm jumper would suffice. Last week the same outfit was slightly too warm - unfortunately not quite uncomfortable enough to justify the effort of removing my backpack and stripping off though, so I spent the whole day stuck just within my tolerable range of discomfort. Today I exceeded this range in the other direction and would certainly have put on an extra layer had I brought one - winter is coming.

The afternoon was much warmer, however, and the majority of trees are still pretty green. Only those that are easily stressed and are always first to drop their leaves are so far producing searchable dangles. I took another little video (with a little commentary) of a new caterpillar I found via one such dangle. Nothing new here, but anyone looking to locate their own caterpillars might find it useful.

https://youtu.be/FOToz26B4z8

After a few days of fairly heavy rain, Knepp and the surrounding areas are temporarily at least, under water. This should clear fairly quickly, but is most certainly preparing the ground for the inevitable autumn/winter mud bath that will soon set in.

The previous group of fly agarics went over very quickly but I found a few more that will be opening up nicely tomorrow - unfortunately they’ll be over by my next visit.

No sign of any serious ‘colouring up’ amongst the 20 or so caterpillars I checked on today - a cold spell will accelerate things no doubt.

I finished the day at the bowling alley arcade, proving to my kids that although my sporting days are long gone, I can still throw a ball with more power and accuracy than anyone they’re ever likely to meet. The machine spat out 1500 tickets and it took in excess of 10 minutes - no exaggeration.

[Wurzel]

Lovely shot of the Fly Agaric Ben I'm intrigued by the Bowling Arcade - do you trade the tickets for prizes, I seem to recall a film called 'Dude Where's my Car?' which featured something like this? Hope to see you at the Social, which hopefully will take place in a month

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

..It must stem from the knowledge (gained through experience) that the eventual payoff for success in a given task is directly proportional to the effort or even pain that is required to achieve it...

Wise words, Ben, and ones which the 'Gloryhunters' would do well to take on board.

I've been out in the field on days so marginal that people have said to me "you'll never find anything today", to which my default response has been "well I certainly won't find anything if I at least don't try!"

You have to love things to do them properly.