www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi all
I had a walk around Bentley woods on the hot day of Wednesday to look for Purple Emperors, but did not see any grounded and sightings were very few and far between. I see that Fermyn woods has been sensational, with loads of grounded emperors. However, due to work, I cannot get their till the weekend and I believe the weather is set to change from perfect weather to rainy Saturday morning, but perhaps better in the late afternoon and during Sunday, but cooler on both days. I still undecided whether or not to go, as the butterflies may be less likely to appear low during this period?? Also any tips on where to look would be most helpful. Thank you.

Peter.

Hi Peter,

Here are a few of my favourite spots. The further you go, the quieter it gets.

SP974843, SP975839, SP980843, SP982840, SP980833 and SP980827. However, you will find plenty as soon as you enter Fermyn Wood from the Gilder Club entrance (SP964858) - and photographers too! Also worth a look is the section accessed entry point SP960856. My advice .... go!

BWs, Neil

Many thanks Neil for you help. I will take your advice and have a go. It will be great to be in B.B country, I was fascinated by his iris stories.

Hi Peter
If you would like to visit Neil's 'quieter spots' without a long walk then park in Lowick village near the church and access the woods along the path starting at SP97718124.
Best of luck, Phil

the weather looks slightly better on Saturday:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weat ... /gcrd6jtvz

you will need an umbrella but there will be sunshine as well....

here are some more pics to tempt you:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2648667@N24/

Thank you Charles and Phil. All helpful information. Stunning iris shots I am certainly going, just booked my overnight room.

I've visited Bentley 3 times now and only once have I seen a grounded Emperor. Some places are better for this than others, and given that Fermyn seems to be the place to witness this kind of activity, then it goes without saying that if this is what you want to see, then you must make the journey.

My number 2 'thing to do' in 2015 is precisely this. Sadly, I'm out of the country from Saturday for a week so it'll have to wait till next year.

I had a fabulous morning in Fermyn Woods on Monday 30th June. The weather was just right, about 18C, light cloud with sunny intervals. I came across 3 grounded Emperors on the main path in a 2 hour period between 11.15 and 1.15. The first one stayed down for over 50 minutes, sitting for long periods with its wings wide open, so I had time to experiment and find out how to get both wings to show purple. I found that holding the camera directly above the butterfly and pointing more or less straight down did the trick. It was fairly quiet too, a few other photographers but not too many. I came away very happy having finally got that open-wing Emperor picture
Cheers
John

Good for you, John.

A midweek visit in prime season is ideal. There's nothing better than a grounded Emperor all to yourself!

Hi Peter,
Just a little more info. from today(Thursday)
I parked at the first little car park(you can park on either side of the road) up the lane which leads to the gliding club, before the main entrance further up the lane. I went down the ride on the right hand side, I was looking for Purple Hairstreaks,big oak tree in the clearing some 300 metres from the road, in the clearing from 11.30 to 12.30pm the Purple Emperors were landing on the ground, on people's bags, backs, trousers every few minutes, they are not worried or bothered by any amount of people.
The weather was sunny and warm which obviously helped, latest forecast is showing light rain am but brighter pm. for Saturday.
Plenty of white admirals also flying.

Good luck Russ

Stunning images John and thank you for the further information Russ. I certainly will do a few days here mid week next year and I am looking forward to my trip this weekend.

Peter.

I had a really fascinating time this weekend at the Fermyn wood complex. I arrived on the Saturday about 11am to dark cloud, but this soon turned to sunny spells. The main track from the F.C. car park was already busy and I made for some of Neil's quieter sites in Lady Wood and souther Wood. I seemed to be the only photographer here, there were only a few walkers around all day and it was lovely sitting with and photographing iris in peace. One butterfly landed on my walking boot. I saw five grounded emperors and the suffused light really brought out that lovely purple in my images. This is a day that will live long in my memory and I sat for a few hours at two of Neil's locations and watched as the male emperors chased each other around the oaks and other trees. I saw Silver-washed Frits, White Admirals and quite a few Purple Hairstreaks but none of the latter were low down. I saw my first two grounded male emperors around 12am, one at 2pm and two at 4.30 - 5pm.

Sunday.
I arrived early to dark cloud, but by 11am there was full sunshine. Lady Wood was full of photographers and dog walkers. Around 12-12.30 pm one section of track here had grounded male emperors all the way along, however they were very skittish because of the continued disturbance. Due to the very bright sunshine, the light was not showing off their gorgeous wings to full effect. I had never seen some many emperors, was I dreaming, no just as I left the wood one landed on my leg. I had to hurry back through Fermyn wood, as at 1am a taxi would be waiting to whisk me back to my train home. As a fitting end to my visit, a female posed on top of grass heads. I liked this area very much and the stone cottage villages reminded me of the Cotswolds. I would like to thank Neil for his help with the best locations to visit, and the other members for their best wishes and encouragement and we should all remember that great man B.B. -Denys Watkins Pitchford whose love of his majesty and ensuring conservation efforts, is the reason this site is such a welcome stronghold for this species today.
Peter.

Wonderful!

Now I have a dilemma. I have the day off work tomorrow to watch the Tour de France stage in Cambridge, but do I go to Fermyn instead?...

dilettante wrote:Now I have a dilemma. I have the day off work tomorrow to watch the Tour de France stage in Cambridge, but do I go to Fermyn instead?...

Not for me to say how you spend a day, but my experience of the Tour de France in Kent a few years ago was a little disappointing. Admittedly we were on a fast section of the tour, but we waited hours and then the cycles all went by in a minute or so. It happened so quick we could not even sort the riders out but had to rely on the commentary instead. Had it been a hill or mountain climb then that would have been a different story.

Just ordered my copy of B.B's Butterflies by Bryan Holden, really looking forward to reading this.

nomad wrote:Just ordered my copy of B.B's Butterflies by Bryan Holden, really looking forward to reading this.

i was a big B.B fan when i was about 10. i loved Brendon Chase... how i wished i lived in a forest with my chums !! also The Whopper about a huge carp...

Having been an avid carp fisherman and butterfly enthusiast from the age of about eleven I naturally have read a number of BB's books including Brendon Chase, Fisherman's Bedside Book and of course Confessions of a Carp Fisher. I purchased a copy of the excellent BB's Butterflies when it first came out and it is an wonderful insight into how he (Denys Watkins Pitchford was his real name) and a close band of companions went to extraordinary efforts in order to give a helping hand to his majesty in the Fermyn Woods complex. At a time when most Emperors were coveted as considerable rarities and pinned as collectors items, in accordance with the custom of the day, he was probably one of the first of the modern Emperor aficionados.
Anyone who has visited Fermyn more recently probably owes him a debt of gratitude.
Well worth a read.
Kind Regards
Mark

I have always enjoyed the writings of B.B. One of my favourite books is ' Ramblings of a Sportsman-Naturalist ' ( excluding the shooting chapter ) which I bought in 1979. So I have long been aware of B.B's early conservation efforts with iris. Such a shame that they aerial sprayed Salcey Forest in Northants, which was once another stronghold for this species. It was a old hollow ancient oak in the forest, which gave B.B the idea for Brendon Chase, which I first read many years ago . I also enjoyed the Brendon Chase T.V series shown in 1981.
Regards Peter.

Has anyone see a PE at Salcey Forest this year yet? I understand that a PE was found there for the first time in 2011 for over 50 years. I believe there is a tree-top walk so wouldn't it be wonderful if one can view iris from such a position

Peter

Hello Peter, Salcey is improving for Purple emperors, with sightings well into double figures this year, and yes Iris can be seen from the treetop walk,
Best wishes David.