Purple emperor cat

[Padfield]

He must have been laughing at me all winter - I searched the sallow he was on countless times, standing in the snow in temperatures down to -12°C, and never saw him. But thanks to advice from the Kipper and CC I recognised his characteristic feeding pattern now the leaves are out and I get the last laugh. I'll try and get better photos when we get a bit of sun.


He's still only about 1 cm long.


This is just the position the Kipper said they rested up in. The fact purple emperors rest on top of the leaf is a help for finding them.


They really are very strange-looking creatures!!

Guy

[Paul]

Hi Guy, Is that local??.... are they common with you???, and when do they fly? ... PS... loved the GH photo on your yearbook, beautifully marked!

[Padfield]

They fly from early July (first seen 5th July last year) in my local woods. Common enough to be seen regularly but not guaranteeable on a single visit. This is a potential father of that caterpillar, seen on 10th July 2009:



You've got some pretty smashing green hairstreak shots too!!

Guy

[Neil Hulme]

Nice one Guy! That's got me salivating to the point of dribbling
Neil

[Cotswold Cockney]

He must have been laughing at me all winter - I searched the sallow he was on countless times, standing in the snow in temperatures down to -12°C, and never saw him. But thanks to advice from the Kipper and CC I recognised his characteristic feeding pattern now the leaves are out and I get the last laugh. I'll try and get better photos when we get a bit of sun.


He's still only about 1 cm long.


This is just the position the Kipper said they rested up in. The fact purple emperors rest on top of the leaf is a help for finding them.


They really are very strange-looking creatures!!

Guy

That larva appears 'laid up' for its next ecdysis ... skin change. Fascinating to watch if you happen to be right place right time. The 'empty' old head will drop off ...
..

[Padfield]

That larva appears 'laid up' for its next ecdysis ... skin change. Fascinating to watch if you happen to be right place right time. The 'empty' old head will drop off ...
..

I called in tonight, after getting back from a day in the Valley, and he didn't appear to have moved at all (or changed in appearance) since yesterday. The weather is quite cold and if he is taking his jumper off the whole process may take longer than normal under these conditions.

I dribble when I read your diary too, Kipper! I was glad, though, to catch up a little by finding this Duke and Duchess today - lesser aristocrats but lovely insects nevertheless:





Guy

[Padfield]

My first post was on Friday. It's now Monday night and he hasn't moved a whisker. Is this normal? Does it take this long to shed the old skin?


(Sunday night)


(Monday night)

Guy

[Trev Sawyer]

"Locomotor Mortis"
I'm sure he/she has just dozed off for a few days... pyjamas will come off later.

Trev

[Padfield]

Tonight he looks all normal again. Sorry about the picture quality - it's another gloomy evening here and my camera doesn't do low light well.





I've christened him Nero. No idea if it's a girl or a boy, though.

Guy

[Cotswold Cockney]

Tonight he looks all normal again. Sorry about the picture quality - it's another gloomy evening here and my camera doesn't do low light well.





I've christened him Nero. No idea if it's a girl or a boy, though.

Guy

When more mature, it is possible to sex larvae of the Apaturinae ... about 2/3rds the way down the near fully grown larva's back, either side of the dorsal line, there may be seen two kidney shaped pale outlines just below the skin surface. Guess what those are ... .... the female larvae do not have those...

I photographed these about thirty years ago and still have those prints up in my loft somewhere ~ will try to dig them out and create digital images to post up.

[Cotswold Cockney]

Just remembered I had brought down a photo album of butterfly prints recently and a quick flick through revealed a couple of prints to illustrate what I outlined in my previous post above.

This first picture shows an example of both sexes of the larvae of Apatura serarum from China. A species I bred for several generations back in the 1980s. It is very similar to our own representative of this superb family of butterflies being of similar size and colouring... the male larva is on the left and is starting to lose its richer green colouring as it nears pupation. Keep in mind these are digital images of simple 6 x 4" old prints ~ hence loss of quality :~



Here is a closer view of that print of the male larva showing what to look for :~



Now you know how to sex your Apatura larvae ....
.

[Padfield]

Thank you, CC - very interesting information. I presume there's no actual connection between those markings and the future sex organs, since everything except the nervous system will be reduced to primordial soup and reconstituted during the pupal stage. Or is that a mistaken understanding?

I hope I'll still be observing Nero when he's (read he/she) more mature. I'm leaving the caterpillar in the wild unless I perceive some threat to him (he's just at a point where the woodmen turn their vehicles a little later in the season, when they start managing the rides, so that is one potential threat). If I decide to lift him to safety I will be asking for more advice! I have a sallow in my garden, so providing food will be no problem.

Guy

[Padfield]

Still overcast skies and drizzle here, so very little lep interest! Here are a few more piccies of Nero (who remains the only iris larva I can find in my woods).

Knowing where he is, I feel he is very vulnerable - but I think he is practically invisible to ordinary passers-by and dog-walkers:



He has nibbled away more of his resting leaf, but if anything, this improves his camouflage. His horns are perfectly matched to the colour and texture of the bitten edges:





The position on the leaf minimises his visibility from below - there is no caterpillar shape on the leaf for birds to spot. In Nero's case, this is not important, as he is only at about belly-height on his tree.



Still just a baby, so no spooky testicles appearing on his back yet. If they don't appear when he nears pupation I shall rechristen him Nerina.



Guy

[Paul]

[Padfield]

Getting my eye in...

Meet Julius...



... and Augustus:



Both of these are far larger than Nero - Julius is full twice the length, therefore eight times the bulk. I think this is because while Nero lives about three feet off the ground in a shady corner, Julius and Augustus live above head height in a fuller sallow, with more of a southerly aspect. The branches they were hibernating on will have thawed out sooner and pushed out spring leaves before Nero's branch. They will also have enjoyed a little warmth during the day (although they feed at night they need to digest and grow during the day), which might have helped their metabolism.

I still care for baby Nero and will follow his growth with as much interest as before:



This is Julius in situ:



And this is Augustus:



Once you know where they are, they're easy to find, but before that they're practically invisible!

Guy

[Lee Hurrell]

From a distance like the last two shots, their camouflage is remarkable!

Nice one Guy,

Lee

[Pete Eeles]

Yeah - well done! I suspect you invested many hours looking for these masters of disguise! Great story - can't wait for the next instalment

Cheers,

- Pete

[Rogerdodge]

Guy
I hope this area is one of our first visits in early July - can't wait to see if one of these three noble creatures survives to show off for us!

[Padfield]

Thanks Lee and Pete - and yes, Pete, many, many hours. But I was a total beginner. I think experience must count for a lot in this game - judging which sallows it's worth checking, and so forth.

Roger, my provisional plan involves you visiting these woods on the day you arrive, driving straight there from the airport. If you get to my part of Switzerland in late morning or around midday there is a reasonable chance of picking up a purple emperor, and even if you are later in the day a glimpse higher in the trees is quite possible. What I was hoping to show you there, however, was woodland browns (Lopinga achine), rare and delicate creatures that you definitely won't be able to find back home in the UK! Whether or not the emperors put in a show, the woodland browns will be out and about!

Guy

[Matsukaze]