In Which Emperors Abound

It's not difficult to find better photos of the Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) than this one. For what it's worth, this is definitely not a White Admiral, because the occasional rapid flyby at head level confirmed that, but the ten specimens we recorded (being conservative to avoid double counting), spent almost all their time courting at the tops of the major Oaks. Also worthy of note: Purple Hairstreak 2; Marbled White 3; Silver-washed Fritillary - too many to count:

Sledgehammer to crack a nut

I find it very difficult to distinguish between The Uncertain (Hoplodrina octogenaria) and The Rustic (Hoplodrina blanda). Everyone I speak to has a difference favourite method to tell them apart, but the shinyness of The Rustic compared with the rougher appearance of The Uncertain is a consistent suggestion. Unfortunately, most people agree that this character is very difficult to capture in a photo, although I think I've just about managed to capture the shinyness on the forewing in a photo (same lighting):



I took a closer look under the microscope at the scales in the kidney mark on the forewing and it is possible to see a difference - The Uncertain has quill-like scales which point forward and presumably contribute to the rough appearance, whereas the scales on The Rustic have a flatter and more "sleek" appearance:



I'll look at some more specimens as I get them and see if this is a consistent observation.

Clubiona reclusa

With a couple of exceptions (C. comta, C. corticalis), Clubiona species are difficult to separate and it always comes down to microscopic examination, but with Clubiona reclusa there are a few key features which can point you in the right direction: