Neil Hulme

Post by **Pete Eeles** » Sat Jun 11, 2022 7:35 pm

That's amazing Neil - I've never come across anything like that, even at the very best sites for DGF I've visited! I am definitely ...

Cheers,

- Pete

trevor · Post by **trevor** » Sun Jun 12, 2022 7:34 am

Amazing number of DGF Neil, even more amazing considering they've only just started !.
If only they're close cousins could be seen in that quantity.
A

for your shot of three together!.

Trevor.

bugboy · Post by **bugboy** » Sun Jun 12, 2022 8:04 am

Crikey, I wouldn't want to be the first female DGF to emerge in that valley

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Sun Jun 12, 2022 8:40 am

Thanks, Pete, Trevor and Paul. As always, timing is everything. I reckon I hit DGF male 'big bang' (mass emergence) day there, and many will probably disperse over the wider landscape in time. However, the reason for such a spectacular concentration (c.90% were seen in a rough meadow of c.1.5 hectares) was obvious. This ground appears to have been cleared of scrub by the South Downs National Park Authority, probably by remote flail, a few years back (I'll be checking with SDNPA), and the dominant plant at 'ground zero' is Hairy Violet; the area is literally carpeted in the stuff - I've never seen the plant growing in anything like the abundance it currently occurs in here.

I have seen DGF numbers in this order of magnitude elsewhere in Sussex, at Chantry Hill, but much depends on grazing pressure. It's a constant source of frustration for me that Countryside Stewardship agreements are so inflexible, so that once a package of land is to be grazed (usually a positive thing), it must be, annually! This means that a break in grazing for a year, allowing the retention of a more heterogeneous sward structure (which suits species such as DGF and Duke of Burgundy), is verboten.

BWs, Neil

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Sun Jun 12, 2022 8:41 am

Neil Hulme wrote: ↑Sat Jun 11, 2022 7:20 pm 9 June 2022
...Of the 234 I counted, every single one was male!...

And to think I was chuffed to see half a dozen last week...but at least one of them was a female

Cheers,

Neil.

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Sun Jun 12, 2022 8:53 am

11 June 2022

With my series of 'spring' butterfly surveys coming to an end (one more to go), I had the luxury of an entire day with the Silver-studded Blues of Iping and Stedham Commons. Other than a few dog walkers, I had the site to myself. I didn't attempt to make an accurate count (the site is well monitored) but must have seen about 80 individuals, with a 60:20 split between the two sites. Female numbers are now buiding and I found three mating pairs.

As to be expected on lowland heath, other butterfly species were few and far between, but I did see Clouded Buff moth, a couple of Adders crossing the sandy paths, and good selection of rarer habitat-specialist birds.

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Sun Jun 12, 2022 8:57 am

Hi Neil
Yes, I saw your dusky female ... phwoar!
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Mon Jun 13, 2022 8:15 am

Wandering Emperor Cats

Some great observations by Ben in his study wood recently, showing that Purple Emperor larvae are quite happy to wander from their host sallows and use adjacent trees and shrubs (Silver Birch and Hazel) as pupation sites.

I recently met Ben for some PE pupa hunting at Knepp, as we still no little about their preferred nursery areas here, given the vast expanses of sallow to choose from. We were surprised to find one pupa in a low stand of Bramble. With this species, always expect the unexpected!

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:09 pm

12 June 2022

Bepton Down, which lies to the SW of Midhurst, is seldom visited by anyone other than locals, but is well worth exploring if you enjoy your orchids and the stunning scenery the South Downs has to offer. It has some way to go to achieve its full potential for butterflies, as the area is still improving following many years of neglect. Great things have been achieved here now that mechanical cutting and cattle grazing have been reinstated. In a few years time this could become a very good butterfly site, but for now it's the rapid recovery of the chalk grassland flora that clearly signals a return to former glories. Greater Butterfly, Bee, White Helleborine, Common Twayblade, Common-spotted and Pyramidal Orchids were all seen in impressive numbers when I visited. Butterfly highlights included half-a-dozen Dark Green Fritillary and numerous Dingy and Large Skippers.

I then travelled to a site where some very rare orchid hybrids had recently been spotted. X Dactyloglossum mixtum is a cross between Frog and Common Spotted-orchid, producing a highly variable array of stunningly beautiful forms, none of which look remotely like a Frog Orchid! All seven plants were uniquely designed and coloured. As the sun began to set, I waited patiently with a friend for a Marbled White to finally choose a bed for the night.

Allan.W. · Post by **Allan.W.** » Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:48 pm

Very nice hybrids Neil lovely looking plants ! Seeing your shots of Frog/ Common ,makes me realise that the one i photographed at Fairmile Bottom a couple of years back .............probably wasn,t ! that said ,i,ve often wondered whether some of these hybrids could be fertile ,and the hybrid cross back with a standard plant of the same order Dactylorizha ..................because i,m sure that my plant isn,t a straight forward Common Spot !
Did have one stroke of luck at our main Duke site here in Kent a "Green " Greater Butterfly Orchid ........most odd !
Regards Allan.W.

David M · Post by **David M** » Thu Jun 16, 2022 6:05 am

Those hybrid orchids are fascinating, Neil, and the Marbled White underside is a real treat.

I suspect you are now entering iris-mode?

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Thu Jun 16, 2022 7:43 am

Thanks, Allan and David.
Allan, I suspect your plant was a Frog x Common-spotted hybrid, as I recall seeing one at Fairmile in, I think, the same year. They're so variable in design and colour that the permutations are probably almost endless. Some folk can be a bit 'sniffy' about hybrids, but of course this is evolution in action, and they perfectly demonstrate the wonderful diversity in Nature.
Yes, David, the 'silly season' is almost upon us. Predictions of a very early iris season have had to be amended (I originally considered 15 June as a likely kick-off), due to a spell of less favourable weather (particularly cold nights) from late May until recently. But the oven's now on full heat, so this weekend (Sunday?) should see us Purple.
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Thu Jun 16, 2022 7:52 am

15 June 2022

A break in my work diary allowed me a leisurely day in the woods around Southwater, to see how the White Admiral season is progressing. I saw 15 males with a supporting cast of four male Silver-washed Fritillary. I wouldn't expect to see Purple Emperor until SWF numbers have built further, including the first females, and I haven't seen Ringlet yet, so we appear to be a few days away from that much-anticipated day.

David M · Post by **David M** » Sun Jun 19, 2022 7:02 am

Lovely, fresh White Admiral, Neil. Yes, I suppose Ringlets should pre-date Emperors but it must be any day now.

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 3:55 pm

Thanks, David. It all started happening on 17 June and the Emperor is still enjoying a purple patch even now!
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 4:28 pm

18 June 2022

The Purple Emperor season kicked-off on 17 June, at Knepp, Bookham Common and Alice Holt Forest. However, I thought I'd give Southwater Woods a go on 18 June, before moving over to Knepp in the afternoon. My smelly baits and cherry-laden fox scats proved attractive to both Comma and Red Admiral, but nothing Purple was showing. A call from Matthew Oates hastened my departure to Knepp, as a male Purple Emperor had been discovered on a cow pat by Karl Geoghegan.

Fortunately, it waited a full 30 minutes for me to arrive, but I was slightly disappointed to find that it had a malformed right forewing. This appeared to be due to damage sustained in the pupal stage (perhaps pecked at by a bird), as the process of pigmentation had clearly been disrupted by the wound. He was lucky to have survived and appeared sufficiently capable of flight to cause mayhem over the next couple of weeks.

I hoped that I would get more opportunities to photograph male Emperors on the deck at Knepp, bearing in mind their reluctance to ground here in previous years; I really needn't have worried!

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:34 pm

20 June 2022

By 20 June Purple Emperor numbers were increasing rapidly, with more than 20 individuals seen by Matthew, Karl or me. Even better, the males were regularly coming down to collect salts from the tracks. Most were lured down to my belachan & pickled gourami baits, which have proven particularly effective this year, although a couple came down to piles of horse dung. I baited the same spots daily, often finding them topped off by a fox scat, laid overnight. Over the next couple of weeks I reckon that more than 100 visitors managed to photograph Emperors on my baits.

Groundings at Knepp used to be very rare events, despite the vast population, but have slowly increased year-on-year. But this year the floodgates have opened and we've enjoyed what must be a tenfold increase. It's difficult to explain this trend, but I've long suspected that it may be due to the very different biochemistry of the soils and sallows, compared to 'typical' Emperor sites (with a long history of woodland cover). In the earlier years, were the males able to assimilate the required salts in the larval stage, as the sallow foliage would have been rich in the nutrients derived from once heavily fertilised farmland? If this were the case, changes in the biochemistry of the sallows, with each growing season and leaf-fall, might have led to an increasing need to seek out salts from more typical sources.

My brother, Mark, joined me for the day (the last two images are his), but sadly had to return to Antwerp the following morning. He would be back in mid-July, when the Emperors were still going well - at the time of posting, this is already looking like an unusually long flight season.

trevor · Post by **trevor** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:08 am

Interesting summary and superb images Neil.
From what I've heard and read, if the Emperors are the cake, then the icing is yet to come!.
You must have suffered from brain overload. Here's a couple of

in advance.

Truly great stuff!,
Trevor.

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 6:25 am

Thanks, Trevor. Plenty more cake to come first; this Purple Emperor season has been more like a layer cake, and it's still giving, even now.
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 6:49 am

22 June 2022

By 22 June my Purple Emperor counts were now in the 30s, despite focussing on just a small area of the Knepp Wildland Southern Block, so as to give myself the best chance of luring males down to my baits. I enjoyed multiple groundings throughout the day, but the heat and harsh sunshine meant that none of the butterflies opened up. I also had the opportunity to get the first of several shots of males 'tongue-cleaning' on low ride-side vegetation; this behaviour occurs when the butterfly needs to remove the tiny balls of silt particles which build-up on the proboscis while feeding.

Later that morning, I spotted the first female of the year, but it would be a further week before I saw another, suggesting that we were still in the very early stages of the season.