A few days in the South Charente at Boisjarzeau in late July provided the opportunity to catch up with some good friends. This included the large coppers in the small, damp meadow beyond the lake seen for the first time in 2018 and not found in 2020. Thankfully, a single female was on the water…
Tag: Lesser Purple Emperor
The last empress
Yesterday, at the small stream below Boisjarzeau, the last empress sat in the morning sunshine with tattered wings outspread before feeding on a cluster of overripe blackberries; her great age could not mask her elegance; she soon flew and was quickly lost high in the trees. The final act in a long and rich summer,…
Boisjarzeau’s Little Emperors and Admirals
At the end of May, Freyer’s purple emperor (Apatura metis) or FPE was abundant around Lake Skadar in Montenegro as described here and then here. Close to the slow winding rivers and streams of the southern Charente, the lesser purple emperor (Apatura ilia) or LPE is king. These are the subspecies A. i. clytie, which is a…