20th June - Abbotts Wood and Straits Inclosure, Alice Holt Forest, Hampshire

Purple Emperor were reported at Knepp on the 17th, the last few days have been sunny and warm so I decided to see if the Purple Emperors were making an appearance yet in Hampshire.  I started at Abbotts Wood and took the familiar walk down the path away from the car park

It just after 9.00am when I arrived but for once it felt quite warm.  Usually at this time of year there would be butterflies in the grasses by the side of the path, but in keeping with the way the butterflies have been this year there was nothing about.

As I approached the open area where the path turns to the right a Red Admiral flew past me and settled on the path, a little bit of hope.

I spent some time around the open area on the turn.  A very large Hornet was hunting around the bramble flowers, but never settled.  There was also a female Broad-bodied Chaser hunting, but this did settle and showed very well.

I left the area and walked along the path towards the main emperor assembly area.  The Bracken leaves were looking superb in the sunshine with the dark black background.

A few Meadow Browns danced through the grasses and a single Speckled Wood showed on a Hazel leaf.

On reaching the assemble point the conditions looked perfect, blue sky, light wind and warm but not too much.  I stood and waatched.

But nothing happened, no butterflies what so ever.  I walked back along the path and into an open area where there was a lot of bramble.  There were some butterflies at last, but they were only Meadow Browns.

But then some excitement, a Large Skipper, things were looking up.

I do like a skipper, they are quite a bit like a terrier dog, feisty small and compact.

I decided to walk round the the Straits Inclosure, which involves crossing two roads and two open fields.  Again very little about, just some Meadow Browns in the open fields.

You then have to walk along a footpath that clearly hasn't been used that often and is overgrown in places with some boggy patches.  I reached the watch out tower and on to the main path.  There were now dark brown butterflies in the grass, but these had more of a dainty, bouncy flight and i followed one in the hope it was what I hoped and when it settled it turned out to be just that, a Ringlet.

I walked back down the main path in glorious butterfly weather, its just that nobody has managed to tell the butterflies about it.

By the side of the path at head height, a female Beautiful Demoiselle.

Then a Small Skipper in the sunshine on a Hazel leaf.

As I reached the end of the track I came across yet another female Broad-banded Chaser by the side of the track.  The dragonflies don't appear to have suffered from the poor spring weather that the butterflies seem to have.

A last look at the beautiful conditions, we have missed days like these.

Walking back along the road a White Admiral flew past me, it never stopped but I took this as good encouragement.  I wasn't successful today, but hopefully with a good forecast for the next week, then maybe the butterflies will start to appear.  Over the next two weeks I am going to be here quite a bit looking for the Emperor.