Purple Emperor Savernake Forest Wilts (1 Viewer)

Can anyone help me find 'the monument' on the map of Savernake Forest, please? I believe the correct name for the Purple Emperor location is 'the Ailesbury Column'. But I can't find it.

Has anyone had a look here this year. I believe Matthew Oates has had up to 400 at a site in (Surrey?) (Sussex?) and is talking it up as an exceptional year.

Also, can I hope to see White Admiral at the same location?

Thanks

Britseye said:

Can anyone help me find 'the monument' on the map of Savernake Forest, please? I believe the correct name for the Purple Emperor location is 'the Ailesbury Column'. But I can't find it.

Has anyone had a look here this year. I believe Matthew Oates has had up to 400 at a site in (Surrey?) (Sussex?) and is talking it up as an exceptional year.

Also, can I hope to see White Admiral at the same location?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Can't help with the former but a colleague of mine lives in West Sussex and he met a local Pemp. specialist who purported to have seen c 100+ that day, so it may well be that this sustained high pressure period, has contributed to their high incidence.

I found my first White Admirals several years ago where a deciduous woodland area had been thinned out previously, whereupon allowing the honeysuckle to flourish once more (the requisite shrub for egg laying). I believe at this time they are past their peak flying none have been reported locally for at least a couple of weeks...but never say die. :t:

Thanks, Ken. As it happens I found the monument quite easily and bumped into one or two other enthusiasts who filled in some details for me. Alas, after four successive mornings in perfect conditions, the best I could manage was a couple of blip views of territorial males in the canopy, bit like seeing a butterfly on a seawatch. So slightly disappointing, especially when you consider what's been going on in Knepp this year

http://apaturairis.blogspot.com/

I failed to see White Admiral as well, perhaps gone past peak time? However, as you may begin to infer from the related post on Purple Hairstreaks, that doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy visiting an ancient British forest with some quite fabulous old oaks and beeches, and there were plenty of common butterflies around. (It was also my first time in the heart of Red Kite country.) Besides, there were other attractions such as Avebury stone circle that influenced my decision to choose a location where the Emperor was perhaps a bit thinner on the ground (or the treetops anyway!) than other locations such as the famous Northants site. But I think I may well choose somewhere with a higher population next year!