As I got nearer my destination, the wet roads gave evidence of a heavy shower and indeed everything was wet in the forest. I wondered if the butterflies would take time to dry out and if I should see any at all. I did notice a few meadow browns and ringlets around though.
Having parked my car near the clearing where 'the column' is found, I walked around the grassy area, for at least half an hour..nothing!
A few patches of blue sky appeared which looked hopeful, but didn't produce any Purple emperors. So I was about to go home, when another car drew up, and the occupant proceeded to set up a tripod and camera with zoom lens. He was obviously expecting to see something, so I decided to wait a bit longer.. and unbelievably, as he approached the column, a purple emperor appeared and landed on the column! Perfect timing!
We managed a few photos, although the butterfly was quite high up and mine weren't very clear. The next twenty minutes saw a couple more butterflies appear , one landed low down, but only for a couple of seconds, and not enough to get a photo, unfortunately.
However, that increases my total of different species to thirty-five this year so I was happy!
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