Find purple emperors this July

One of my favourite days of the year comes at the halfway point, when variable June slips into the scorching days of July and things are starting to look a little parched. On that special day each year, I head deep into the woods in search of purple emperors. Not just one, or two, but as many as I can get. The purple emperor is that sort of beast - you just can't get enough as the hundreds of fellow fans will testify!

Purple peak
Luckily I usually manage to hit the peak emergence near me, or close enough, and this has resulted in my best ever day count of 132 of these stunning, charismatic butterflies that never fail to delight. I was concerned I may be a little early this year as I headed over on Saturday with a friend, but there was no need to worry. We hit the show at its peak and not only that, due to most of the emperors being freshly emerged, they looked absolutely fabulous with pristine wings and colours. As with many insects and flowers, hot weather will bring them out earlier so it's going to be a slightly earlier than usual season and I know numbers further south have already been very high.

It's rare to get a purple hairstreak posing at ground level like this - and this one is as fresh as you can get (image cMark Ward)

It was a two-mile walk to reach my favourite hotspot and even at 8am, the sun was starting to beat down. En route, I spied a small butterfly tumbling down from the trees and suspected a newly-emerged purple hairstreak. Racing over to the ride-side grass, I soon had it in view and it was immaculate (above).

Purple rain
The sun was still climbing and much of the wood was cast in shade, but I'd tried to time our arrival to the hotspot for the point when the sun would be high enough and the emperors start to perform. The first sighting of the large, speedy vision of loveliness that is the purple emperor is always exciting and true to form, I shouted out over-excitedly, as it swooped past me and away down the ride. It was 9.30am and this is the time I’d urge anyone to ensure they are in position for their emperor-watching. Males come down from the oak canopy to tracks where they will settle, sometimes on you, but usually on a mineral-rich bit of earth, or a foul-smelling poo. The peak of this activity can go on for a good couple of hours and it's almost as if word spreads.

No need to lug a big camera round the woods when the emperors pose like this! (image c Mark Ward)

The emperor-ometer just kept on ticking form that point and soon I was dashing down as many rides as I could to add to the tally as I did my usual transect. Males were regularly investigating the track and swooping around my head, the “snap” of their wings audible as they "buzzed" my face. Singles became tens and before long, the half century was up.

I also saw several females, slightly larger than the purple-sheened males and with less pointed wings. They were investigating places to lay eggs and attracting the attention of males, but the purple beauties dominated the count, as usual.

Butterfly bonanza
In addition to the storm of emperors appearing, perfect bright orange silver-washed fritillaries swept past and white admirals (Like a small purple emperor at first glance) investigated honeysuckle and bramble flowers. In the treetops, purple hairstreaks flitted around oaks and ash, white-letter hairstreaks around elms there was even a late black hairstreak on show. Adding to a tropical feel at times was the drip of honeydew from the treetops that occasionally caught me unawares, as it hit my face or back and made me jump.

This summer's must-have fashion accessory (image cMark Ward)

Proud fellow emperor hunters showed off their adornments – one lady had one on her back (see above) and a gent had one on his shoe as the butterflies attempted to find nutrients. Males continued to glide through and above the canopy of oaks and sallows, sometimes meeting other and spiralling upwards in dispute. They are masters of the air and cut through the air with a distinctive style that, once you've seen it, you will just know it even at distance.

After a good few miles of walking, I was feeling the heat now, so we headed back and I’d left another section of woodland to take in on the way back to add to the count. Would we reach the hundred with 70 in the bag? The secret for a good emperor count is to keep checking the track ahead of you so you don't flush any "grounded" ones, but also keep an eye on the treetops for "gliders".

Still they came but activity was slowing now the morning frenzy of activity slowed – not surprising in the sweltering heat. With 20 metres to go before the car was reached, the count was 90 and despite one more in a small tree and a female swooping around the clearing behind the car, 92 was the final tally and I admitted that I had indeed had my fill.

If you do one thing this July, I urge you to try for purple emperors. They are fabulous creatures and a real treasure of the UK summer (if you live in the south that is - they draw crowds from afar though and I regularly bump into Scottish visitors down for a few days just to enjoy the emperor show). They are spreading to more areas too and this morning the first ever was seen here at RSPB HQ at The Lodge. One further tip, whatever you do, do not forget hat and suncream as I did, leading to an afternoon on the sofa with sunstroke!

More butterfly tips next week
Next Monday, I'll focus on some tips for seeing purple hairstreaks - another butterfly that's out in big numbers this year and has been keeping me busy in the woods in the last week, or so.

Even if you can't get out to look for purple emperors, there are plenty of other butterflies to enjoy while the sun is shining and you can even make a butterfly banquet in your own garden.