Purple Emperor at the Savernake Forest, 2023, Part 1

9th July 2023: this was only my second really close view of a Purple Emperor with its purple irridescence, and the first time I had seen a male taking salts on the ground, along the approach avenue.
As can be seen, some new gravel hed been put down to fill a few potholes in the track and this seemed particularly attractive, after the early morning rain.
In this case, I was alone with an "Emperor", making this a very personal experience, in the quiet of the forest.

[@flintlsd25tek]

Actually amazing exemplar =))))

[@haileyly7595]

So pretty