29th June - Abbotts Wood and Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

I have put in the hard work this week trying to get the killer views of Purple Emperor, today I met up with Ian in the car park and it felt like someone had taken my parking space, the number of times I have visited this week.

Ian and I set off down the path in warm sunshine and still conditions.  When we reached the urn opening there was a Silver-washed Fritillary winging around the bracken and it was joined by two Wood Admirals.  This was not something I had seen at this point and time all week.  The Silver-washed settled but the White Admirals just flew about.

A little further along we came across a Red Admiral pinging around the path and then finally settling on the bracken leaves.

I pointed out the Broad-leaved Helleborines to Ian, they were still not flowering, the tallest one was almost uncurled while the others were still pointing down.  We turned the corner to the right and walked down the track in the warm sunshine.

About 200 metres along we saw a Purple Emperor, ping around the top of an oak on the right hand side.  We both scanned the leaves but it was Ian that found the butterfly, not at the top but sufficiently high to prevent killer views!

This magnificent butterfly flies high in the tree-tops of well-wooded landscapes in central-southern England where it feeds on aphid honeydew and tree sap. The adults are extremely elusive and occur at low densities over large areas. The males occasionally descend to the ground, usually in mid-morning, where they probe for salts either from road surfaces or from animal dung.

This one sat in the same spot and started to open the wings to catch the sun's radiation.

This one wasn't going anywhere and in fact when we eventually left it was still sitting in the same spot.

There was some activity in the Ash tree along side the oak, a White Admiral and then distinctly another Purple Emperor.  It is useful to be familiar with the nuances of the Purple Emperor’s behaviour to distinguish them from another relatively rare high-flier, the White Admiral. Underwings of both species are boldly coloured in brown and white, but the Emperors are larger and have a large orange ‘eye’. Both species and sexes have a dark wing surface with white dots and streaks, but emperors have a small orange circle. The male emperor’s wings have an unmistakable rich iridescent purple sheen when they catch the light.  However once seen the Emperor’s flight is stronger and bold, while the White Admiral is more fluttery.

I thought it might spur the other emperor into contact, but no, it dropped into the middle of the Ash where it settled, upside down, on a branch and appeared to imbibe on the branch, probably sap.  The eye on the underside of the wing clearly visible, both male and female have this and it offers protection from bird strikes while sat in the trees.

This emperor then flew to an Oak next to the Ash, where it was just visible.

A great start to the morning, two Purple Emperors and photographable, but we wanted more so we walked on to the main assembly point further down the path.  On arriving there was another Purple Emperor flying over the Sallow and around the Oaks, but then out of sight.

We stood around waiting and soon quite a crowd appeared, there were also many cyclists about including a peloton of about twenty cyclists who went through at a ridiculous speed.

A Comma, probably the same Comma I had seen on previous days appeared on the small amount of bramble there was around the area.

The crowd that had gathered milled around the path and any chance of the emperors coming down to the path seemed distant, so Ian and I walked down the path behind us in an attempt to see if there was anything else about.  Another Beautiful Demoiselle settled on a bracken leaf.

And another Comma, or possibly the same one on the bracken.

Back at the assembly area the crowd had increased further, so we then walked along the main track.  Its funny what catches your eye when you are waiting for something to happen.  This morning it was the moon in the sky at eleven o'clock in the morning.

There were two Purple Hairstreaks flying around the oaks and we watched them in the hope that one might come down closer, but of course they didn't.

We then discussed what to do as there wasn't much happening here.  We then agreed to go back to the car pick up lunch and then walk to the Straits Inclosure and try our luck there.  As we reached the turn to the left that took us back up the hill towards the car park, there was a couple standing and looking down at the path.  As they beckoned for us to come over a Purple Emperor flew across the path and followed the tops of the Sallow.

Realising they must have something special we ran down the path and there amongst the earth was a Purple Emperor sat  and imbibing on what looked like squashed dog poo.

The males are sometimes so engrossed in feeding that they will spend over an hour feeding in the same place, each displaying its characteristic yellow proboscis. The males are also notorious for feeding on mud and other debris that has gathered on surfaces of cars parked within the woodland. They are also partial to sweat and readily land on observers. However, both male and female spend the majority of their time resting high in the tree canopy and out of sight.

The Purple Emperor was not the only insect attracted to the dog faeces, there were also flies and they would settle on the butterflies wings, which made it flick the wings open momentarily.

Either due to the attention of the flies or it had satisfied it's mineral needs. the emperor then turned and walked through the grass giving the first glimpses of the electric purple sheen on the upper wings.

With a wingspan of up to 9.2cm, it is our second-largest resident butterfly (the biggest is the swallowtail).

The male Purple Emperor is one of the most beautiful of all of the butterflies found in the British Isles. From certain angles it appears to have black wings intersected with white bands. However, when the wings are at a certain angle to the sun, the most beautiful purple sheen is displayed, a result of light being refracted from the structures of the wing scales. The female, on the other hand, is a deep brown and does not possess the purple sheen found in the male, but does have the characteristic "eye" on the under wing.

Like the kingfisher blue, the purple of their wings is a trick of physics rather than a true colour. Purple is a dye relatively rare in nature, hence its association with luxury, royalty and the word ‘emperor’ throughout civilisation. For example, Roman and Byzantine emperors wore cloaks dyed with vivid ‘Tyrian purple’ from slimy mucous of marine snails!

It then took to the air, but not too far and settled amongst the bracken and we were able to get an eye level view.

Then it took off again, and settled in a tree close by, a final glimpse of the purple sheen.

Then it was gone, flying off along the line of Sallow.

I have been lucky to experience the Purple Emperor on the ground, but not so much for Ian so I was pleased that at last he got to experience this.  It is a very special moment and a privilege to to be able to witness the majesty of this butterfly.

We were not going to better this and we then decided to go to Old Winchester Hill for the afternoon.  However Abbots Wood was not finished with us yet.  As we approached the car park there was a Silver-washed Fritillary nectaring on bramble flowers.

If you catch the light just right you can get a beautiful black background.

Here showing off the beautiful silver washing on the under wing, that gives the butterfly its name.

It was a half an hour drive to Old Winchester Hill, but when we got there it was looking splendid.

I was hoping that there would be plenty of butterflies about along the top of the reserve, but it was like it had been last week in Abbots Wood very quiet.  We did manage to find a Small Heath.

Once again you start to hypothesise on why there are so few butterflies about.  It was a glorious day, sunshine but not too warm, they should be everywhere.  Then you look at the bramble and realise that they still are not in full flower with plenty of buds yet to open.  Maybe that has something to do with it?  Looking around the hill fort and the slopes, the amount of wild flowers out was also quite low for this time of year.

Then we came across a few Marbled Whites on the bramble.

Both Large and Small Whites have been scarce, there was a Large White at Abbotts and here there was a nice Small White.

We walked through the Yew trees and came out at the top of the main hill.

The view looking towards the fort.  A short way along the path we had a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, but it was away before we could get close.

The view approaching the fort.

We walked around the fort.  There were Common Spotted Orchids around the moat and a few Pyramidal Orchids amongst the grass.

The reason for being here was to try and find the Dark-greened Fritillary, another large orange fritillary that thrives in the conditions found here on the hill.  They are also notorious for flying strongly past you and then out of sight as they switch back and forth.  And this was what happen today.  We saw at least six, but not one stopped. 

One big surprise was Ian found a Grizzled Skipper which must be right on the end of tits flight season.

At the bottom of the hill there were a lot more butterflies, mostly Small Heath and Marbled Whites, this Marbled White settled on the flower head of a Scabious.

A close up of the hairs.

One final view of the sunshine and the path that leads to the bottom of the last steep hill up to the car park.

So a very successful visit to Abbotts Wood in the morning with wonderful views of the Purple Emperor, so good I no longer have to walk the path down the hill and back in Abbotts this year.  It is always a joy to walk Old Winchester Hill in the sunshine at this time of year, it was just a shame the numbers of butterflies was so low.