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Purple Emperor - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 13

Happy New Year! Hopefully it will a much better one for butterflies than 2016...

I'm looking forward to seeing these shots as despite seeing at least two myself this year I was unable to get any photographs - blooming joggers kept disturbing them

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos - just to make it easier to organise and keep everything on track so that we can enjoy this throughout the winter months? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Although I took 51 photos of PE this year, they were all of a single, very obliging, individual in the Oakley Wood car-park, Bernwood. I finally decided on a topside 'double purple' shot, as HIM foraged for moisture and salts amongst the gravel.
Mike

This year I finally got my close up audience with HIM, all previous sightings being tantalisingly fleeting glances in the tree tops and the occasional flyby. I ended up with four grounded males at Fermyn and managed to get my camera right up their palps!

I was lucky enough to see reasonable numbers this year including two down at once at Alice Holt.
As I was photographing one with its wings open the other one took off and decided that the sole of my boot had some goodies on it! After photographing the one on the ground I had to perform some contortions to get the other one which I had to eventually remove with my finger! Whilst taking the opportunity to get a couple of shots on my finger the second one chose my dog Flossies head as a perch but she wasn't keen and shood it off before I was able to grab a photo!
Kind regards
Mark

The following male from Chiddingfold forest.

Not a particularly great year from a numbers perspective but certainly my most successful from a photographic viewpoint.
More at:

http://markcolvin.blogspot.co.uk/2016/0 ... fever.html
http://markcolvin.blogspot.co.uk/2016/0 ... unter.html
http://markcolvin.blogspot.co.uk/2016/0 ... suits.html

I finally saw my first Male PE at Ferymn Woods this year, a crowd of people were all a round it taking photos, I was really surprised when it didn't fly away but seemed to enjoy being photographed ,mind you it was on a load of dog poo at the time. It was the 17th of July and very hot. Goldie

My favourite: Kisāgotamī shortly before pupation. This photo was taken on 1st June, 2016, in my local woods.



Guy

From the Lady Wood part of the Fermyn complex on the 21st of July. Usual grounded-type shot plus one in a tree.

I gotta say I don't like the 'scrum' that occurs during PE season at Fermyn. Gimme a walk where I see one-man-and-his-dog any day of the week. That said I did contribute to the overcrowding at Fermyn by taking along a couple of novice butterflying-birders from my village. They loved it - seeing as many as 8 species 'lifers' during one afternoon.

Padfield wrote:My favourite: Kisāgotamī shortly before pupation. This photo was taken on 1st June, 2016, in my local woods.



Guy

That's just excellent, Guy, and certainly the best "in context" shot I've seen of a final instar larva!

Cheers,

- Pete

2016 afforded me my best ever ' Purple ' experience.
For the first time, after many years of trying, I managed shots of ' all wings purple ',
and some underside close ups as well. Out of the seven specimens seen that week
in early July, the Emperor that stayed on the ground for 56 mins. will always be remembered,
and I had that one almost to myself !.
All images taken at Chiddingfold forest.