I finished work this afternoon and made the short journey to Bernwood Forest to try and photograph the Purple Emperor butterflies that have been seen frequently over the weekend.
When I arrived and pulled into the car park, I noticed one just sitting in the middle of the road. I parked the car and ran back to the entrance, and it was still there, basking in the sun. Unbelievable!
Key Characteristics:
Size: One of the largest butterflies in the UK, with a wingspan of 7.5-8.4cm.
Appearance: Males have a distinctive purple sheen on their upper wings with white bands and orange-ringed eyespots, while females are brown with similar eyespots.
Habitat: They inhabit mature woodlands, particularly those with goat willow (their caterpillar foodplant).
Behaviour: Males spend much of their time in the canopy, feeding on aphid honeydew, and occasionally descend to the ground to feed on damp patches or animal droppings.
Flight Period: The main flight period is from late June to early August.
Conservation Status: The Purple Emperor is considered of medium conservation priority by Butterfly Conservation.
As I walked along the track into the forest, I spotted four more Purple Emperors fluttering down from the trees and landing on the path.
I was absolutely thrilled to be witnessing so many Emperors.
There were also good numbers of White admiral and Silver-washed fritillary on the wing.
Silver-washed fritillary
As I entered a meadow on the forest's outskirts, I spotted two Black Hairstreaks and two Purple Hairstreaks around the edge of the meadow.
Purple hairstreak
What a fantastic area for butterflies! By the time I added up the species I had seen on my walk, it was 15 species. What an afternoon!
Here are the other species I managed to photograph while walking around the area:
Large white
Large skipper
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