Andy Wilson

[millerd]

Right now seems to be the best time in 2018 for Clouded Yellows, Andy. They are all along the south coast at the moment. I like that backlit shot too.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Andy - love the backlit shots of this species

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice, bright image, Andy. It’s a beautiful butterfly and a shame it doesn’t appear in the same numbers as the likes of Painted Lady & Red Admiral.

I’ve yet to see one in Wales this year and doubt I will now.

[Andy Wilson]

Two Small Pearls at Abbots Wood

Having seen some Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries at Park Corner Heath last week and reading about how well they are doing there, I have been keen to see if there are any at Abbots Wood, near Hailsham, where they were introduced two years ago. Yesterday afternoon I was lucky and saw two: one of which had abnormal dark markings.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (possible ab?)

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

There were also a few rather worn Pearl-bordered Fritillaries still flying, but numbers are well down now.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

[Wurzel]

Definitely an interesting individual Andy - it's unusual to see such an asymmetry in their markings what with the left hand fore wing with it's dark band across it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I can't work out whether that's an aberration or just that something has happened to it during emergence. It looks as though the left forewing has suffered greater dark suffusion than the right.

[Andy Wilson]

Knegative at Knepp today

I went Emperor hunting at Knepp this afternoon, more in a spirit of hope than expectation.

Conditions were marginal. Only about 18C with a lot of cloud cover and a fresh, gusty wind. Very little was flying apart from a few Meadow Brown and Small Heath, all of which were hunkering down. No PE, WA or SWF -- just a singleton Red Admiral nectaring on bramble.

The forecast is better for early next week, so I plan to go back on Monday.

[Andy Wilson]

Knepp still not yet Purple

I spent about 5 hours at Knepp today, searching Green Lane and other parts of the southern block. At first there was some cloud cover and a cool, gusty wind, but in the afternoon things warmed up with plenty of sunshine and the wind calmed down a little.

No Purple Emperors were seen, despite a lot of neck-craning and scanning the canopy with binoculars. To be honest, the only species flying in any numbers were Meadow Brown and Large Skipper. There were also a few Small Heath, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and a single Green-Veined White. No Marbled White, nor any typical summer woodland species, such as Silver-washed Fritillary, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak. These are all species that I usually see here during the Emperor flight period.

I think we've got a few days to go before we see a 2019 Knepp iris.

[David M]

Knepp still not yet Purple..

That doesn't surprise me, Andy. Even in warm years Emperors are rarely out prior to midsummer's day. Give it a week and I'm sure things will kick off.

[Andy Wilson]

Silver-studded Blues on Ashdown Forest

I was pleased to find some Silver-studded Blues out on the Ashdown Forest this afternoon. This was just west of the B2026, near the Smugglers car park. 4 individuals were seen, including 2 males that were having repeated dog-fights low down over the Bell Heather.

[David M]

Very nice, Andy. Sadly, I won't get to see them in the UK this year which is a shame as they are such a wonderful species.

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Andy especially the middle one - a 'floating in mid-air Blue' I really need to get out to try and find some for myself...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Andy Wilson]

A hot day at Botany Bay and Knepp

I visited Botany Bay yesterday morning. No sign of Emperors and this was confirmed by a local enthusiast who had been there since 9 am. However, in the heat of the day, Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals were coming down to the ground in Emperor fashion, searching for moisture.

Silver-washed Fritillary

White Admiral

On the way home we called in at Green Lane, Knepp and were almost immediately rewarded by single Purple Emperor that had been spotted by another couple (their first ever sighting!). Further down the lane, at a known assembly point, I saw two battling it out at canopy level, and they were briefly joined by a third that tried its luck in the melee.

At the next assembly point, we bumped into Neil and Mark Hulme, and a family of people who had never seen an Emperor. Neil demonstrated his expert mud-slinging skills (!) and managed several times to get an Emperor to take to the air. It was wonderful to witness the enthusiasm of these newbies to Emperor hunting, from grandfather down to grandson.

Also, for the first time, I tried my theory of using a UV torch to tempt them down from the canopy. It wasn't exactly a scientific experiment, but early results suggest that it doesn't work!

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots of the WA and SWF Andy - I'm intrigued by this 'mud slinging' trick

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Lovely Silver Washed Fritillary, Andy, and the White Admiral is even more impressive.

It's quite a late start for Emperors this year but it's good to know they're now starting to emerge.

[Andy Wilson]

Caught Knepping Again!

I bagged a total of 16 Purple Emperors at Knepp yesterday, far less than the real experts but it was good to see them starting to emerge in decent numbers. All were at high level, apart from one I saw briefly come to ground but flew up again quickly. I got one heavily cropped shot of a male that decided to use a fir tree as his vantage point.

Purple Emperor up a fir tree

It was also good to see many people who were new to Knepp and give them some guidance on how to look for Emperors. One young Dutch couple had no idea what to look for, but they were delighted when I managed to find them a couple of males that were going for each other in the canopy.

I also got a picture of my first Gatekeeper of the year and one obliging Purple Hairstreak that came down to head height.

Gatekeeper

Purple Hairstreak

[Wurzel]

It's great when the Silly Season start in earnest Andy Nice low Purple Hairstreak

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Unusual for Hedge Browns to emerge prior to Emperors descending to ground level to indulge themselves with their mineral imbibing en masse.

It's been a strange season to date with quite a few odd happenings and chronological hiccups.

[ernie f]

Andy - nice to see you are having luck with purples (both Emperors and Hairstreaks). I only saw my first two Emperors yesterday - and you are already on 16 - but that's Knepp for you I suppose!

AND you got a Gatekeeper. It's difficult to keep up. We wait in anticipation for all this to happen after the butterfly "lull" in June and then all hell breaks lose and you are spoilt for choice.

[Goldie M]

Great shot of the Emperor Andy, there a beautiful Butterfly when the Sun catches them. Goldie