Benjamin
Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2021 5:47 pm
Time to dive in and start a diary.
I’ll kick it off with my favourite butterfly related quote from one of my favourite authors (I don’t know many TBH - I’m not well read).
“I confess I do not believe in time. I like to fold my magic carpet, after use, in such a way as to superimpose one part of the pattern upon another. Let visitors trip. And the highest enjoyment of timelessness―in a landscape selected at random―is when I stand among rare butterflies and their food plants. This is ecstasy, and behind the ecstasy is something else, which is hard to explain. It is like a momentary vacuum into which rushes all that I love. A sense of oneness with sun and stone. A thrill of gratitude to whom it may concern―to the contrapuntal genius of human fate or to tender ghosts humoring a lucky mortal.”
Vladimir Nabokov
Despite reading rather a lot (by my standards) on the topic of butterflies, nothing ever really came close to adequately describing the feelings that butterflying engenders in me, and then I read Nabokov who described it exactly.
I think this diary will focus on my ongoing study of Purple Emperors in Sussex woods. I say ‘study’ but it’s really just a personal attempt to get to know the species, gathering plenty of data along the way. I have searched many iris woods over the past 2 and a half years looking for larvae, and have settled on 3 hotspots. The main centre is of course the mighty population at Knepp but despite the high number of larvae that must exist there, finding them is particularly challenging - at least in my experience - but I won’t go into all that now.
Last year I followed 60 overwintering larvae across the sites, observing a 75-80% mortality rate during the winter months (Dec-mid March (when feeding recommenced)). Those that survived were tracked for as long as possible. Three were followed to pupation (one of which was taken into captivity for close observation (more on that later)), one of which disappeared after a couple of days, and the final one was monitored in the wild until eclosion - an event I managed to film on my phone (I do attempt decent photos from time to time but am increasingly travelling light finding that my phone camera is perfectly sufficient for my needs (and I’m not very good with a DSLR truth be told)).
But this isn’t a write up of last year - that would be too dull, and I’ll keep it for a final report at the end of the project/study/faff around - whatever you prefer.
Best to jump straight to this year and report on the larvae I’m currently following. I have 35 under observation. Hopefully a few readers will find regular updates interesting, especially over winter when the diary updates tend to be thin on the ground. From my side I’m happy for any comments/discussion/suggestions (I know there are some iris experts that will read this!), but equally happy for people to browse every now and again without posting anything (I do that with many PDs and thoroughly enjoy them, which is in fact what prompted me to make the effort and play my part).
This year’s theme is characters mentioned in Dylan songs (last year Heavyweight boxers) - at least for the 20 that were found before Dec 1st. Those added throughout the winter are extras and would distort the overwintering data somewhat (obviously the later I find them the more likely they make it through) if they were to be included in that part of the study.
I’ll list the 20 and add some pics of a few (if I can figure out how to do that)....
1. Lily
2. Big Jim
3. Rosemary
4. Frankie Lee
5. Marcel
6. St. John
7. Ramona
8. Miss Lonely
9. Corrina
10. Mister Jones
11. Johanna
12. Dr Filth
13. Mr. Clean
14. Tiny Montgomery
15. Skinny Moo
16. T-Bone Frank
17. Ophelia
18. Billy the Kid
19. Estelle
20. Hollis Brown
These were found at various stages, from freshly laid eggs right through to overwintering larvae - all were present and correct on Dec 1st.
Billy The Kid was a rare ‘leaf dweller’ for a month or so but has recently relocated (keeping on the move of course) to a more standard location:
There’s a much more noticeable size range this year - the majority are on the small side with Skinny Moo here seeming tiny in the flesh. X4 is standard ‘full size’ and is shown here for comparison.
A full check was carried out at the start of Jan - which I will report on next. Last winter 5 of the 20 boxers were lost in December.
To finish, here’s the video of the wild female emerging last summer - taken up a ladder (where I stood from 8 until 4 when she finally flew off!) and in rather windy conditions. You should be able to adjust playback quality if it looks really bad - although it was on my phone so not brilliant anyway.
https://youtu.be/Sh7FJimWLU4
I’ll kick it off with my favourite butterfly related quote from one of my favourite authors (I don’t know many TBH - I’m not well read).
“I confess I do not believe in time. I like to fold my magic carpet, after use, in such a way as to superimpose one part of the pattern upon another. Let visitors trip. And the highest enjoyment of timelessness―in a landscape selected at random―is when I stand among rare butterflies and their food plants. This is ecstasy, and behind the ecstasy is something else, which is hard to explain. It is like a momentary vacuum into which rushes all that I love. A sense of oneness with sun and stone. A thrill of gratitude to whom it may concern―to the contrapuntal genius of human fate or to tender ghosts humoring a lucky mortal.”
Vladimir Nabokov
Despite reading rather a lot (by my standards) on the topic of butterflies, nothing ever really came close to adequately describing the feelings that butterflying engenders in me, and then I read Nabokov who described it exactly.
I think this diary will focus on my ongoing study of Purple Emperors in Sussex woods. I say ‘study’ but it’s really just a personal attempt to get to know the species, gathering plenty of data along the way. I have searched many iris woods over the past 2 and a half years looking for larvae, and have settled on 3 hotspots. The main centre is of course the mighty population at Knepp but despite the high number of larvae that must exist there, finding them is particularly challenging - at least in my experience - but I won’t go into all that now.
Last year I followed 60 overwintering larvae across the sites, observing a 75-80% mortality rate during the winter months (Dec-mid March (when feeding recommenced)). Those that survived were tracked for as long as possible. Three were followed to pupation (one of which was taken into captivity for close observation (more on that later)), one of which disappeared after a couple of days, and the final one was monitored in the wild until eclosion - an event I managed to film on my phone (I do attempt decent photos from time to time but am increasingly travelling light finding that my phone camera is perfectly sufficient for my needs (and I’m not very good with a DSLR truth be told)).
But this isn’t a write up of last year - that would be too dull, and I’ll keep it for a final report at the end of the project/study/faff around - whatever you prefer.
Best to jump straight to this year and report on the larvae I’m currently following. I have 35 under observation. Hopefully a few readers will find regular updates interesting, especially over winter when the diary updates tend to be thin on the ground. From my side I’m happy for any comments/discussion/suggestions (I know there are some iris experts that will read this!), but equally happy for people to browse every now and again without posting anything (I do that with many PDs and thoroughly enjoy them, which is in fact what prompted me to make the effort and play my part).
This year’s theme is characters mentioned in Dylan songs (last year Heavyweight boxers) - at least for the 20 that were found before Dec 1st. Those added throughout the winter are extras and would distort the overwintering data somewhat (obviously the later I find them the more likely they make it through) if they were to be included in that part of the study.
I’ll list the 20 and add some pics of a few (if I can figure out how to do that)....
1. Lily
2. Big Jim
3. Rosemary
4. Frankie Lee
5. Marcel
6. St. John
7. Ramona
8. Miss Lonely
9. Corrina
10. Mister Jones
11. Johanna
12. Dr Filth
13. Mr. Clean
14. Tiny Montgomery
15. Skinny Moo
16. T-Bone Frank
17. Ophelia
18. Billy the Kid
19. Estelle
20. Hollis Brown
These were found at various stages, from freshly laid eggs right through to overwintering larvae - all were present and correct on Dec 1st.
Billy The Kid was a rare ‘leaf dweller’ for a month or so but has recently relocated (keeping on the move of course) to a more standard location:
There’s a much more noticeable size range this year - the majority are on the small side with Skinny Moo here seeming tiny in the flesh. X4 is standard ‘full size’ and is shown here for comparison.
A full check was carried out at the start of Jan - which I will report on next. Last winter 5 of the 20 boxers were lost in December.
To finish, here’s the video of the wild female emerging last summer - taken up a ladder (where I stood from 8 until 4 when she finally flew off!) and in rather windy conditions. You should be able to adjust playback quality if it looks really bad - although it was on my phone so not brilliant anyway.
https://youtu.be/Sh7FJimWLU4