Consistent oviposition preferences of the Duke of Burgundy butterfly over 14 years on a chalk grassland reserve in Bedfordshire, UK

The Duke of Burgundy butterfly (Hamearis lucina) is known to have specific habitat requirements for its larval foodplants. However, no studies have yet investigated whether these preferences vary over time or in relation to climate, and there is a paucity of data on whether management on reserves can replicate preferred conditions. Here, we build upon existing research to confirm which characteristics Duke of Burgundy prefer for their larval foodplants, whether preferences remain consistent across years, and whether conservation management on reserves can replicate these conditions. Fieldwork was carried out at Totternhoe Quarry Reserve, a chalk grassland site in Bedfordshire, UK. Confirming previous research, we found that large Primula plants in dense patches were chosen for oviposition, but that once chosen there was no preference to lay eggs on a plant’s largest leaf. Chosen foodplants were also more sheltered and in closer proximity to scrub than their controls. However, at a finer scale, we found little evidence for any preference based on differences in microclimate, or vegetation height immediately surrounding the plants. This suggests features that alter microclimatic conditions at a larger scale are relatively more important for determining the suitability of oviposition sites. Nearly all preferences remained consistent over time and did not vary between years. Management of scrub on the reserve was able to reproduce some preferred habitat features (high plant density), but not others (large plant size). Implications for insect conservation The consistency of findings across years, despite inter-annual variation in temperature, rainfall and number of adults, indicates that the Duke of Burgundy is conservative in its foodplant choice, highlighting its need for specific habitat management. Targeted management for foodplants could form part of a tractable set of tools to support Duke of Burgundy numbers on reserves, but a careful balance is needed to avoid scrub clearance leaving plants in sub-optimal conditions.

Jan van Eyck at London in 1428

On the basis of reports that Jan van Eyck visited England (he was well traveled in the service of Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy), this essay speculates freely on what the diplomat and painter actually did in and around London for three weeks in 1428. The essay claims, for example, that van Eyck went to the village of Foots Cray to buy watercresses to use as models when painting greenery on the Ghent Altarpiece of the Mystic Lamb (which he completed in 1432). The recently erected gateway to the palace at Greenwich is said likewise to be the model for a towered gateway depicted on the altarpiece. After providing local detail about relevant parts of England in 1428, the essay closes with speculation (although the author writes, “The facts are known”) about the origin of a harp, of a purportedly Welsh variety, appearing on the altarpiece in the hands of an angel. The author argues that it was the instrument of an itinerant Breton musician whom van Eyck had heard in recital at the Poor Clares convent of the Holy Trinity at the Minories in Aldgate. The harpist subsequently murdered his Stepney landlady and was himself killed by enraged local housewives. Van Eyck is said to have purchased the man's harp when his worldly goods were posthumously sold.

Zsigmond király és Lazarević István despota

The paper offers us opportunity to form a timeline of the Despots entry in the vassality with the Hungarian King Sigismund. According to our sources the entry happened after Decemeber 18th 1403, and before April 16th 1404, when the despot was referred to as a vasal of King Sigismund in a letter to the Duke of Burgundy.

A Saint’s Origins

This chapter traces the origins of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. The site of Bernard's birth is a hill on the outskirts of Dijon, the capital of Burgundy. He was the third of seven children born to Tescelin Sorus and Aleth of Montbard. Bernard's father and brothers took their place in the world in order to serve secular lords, especially the Duke of Burgundy. Later in life, Bernard seems to have shown no aversion to the military persuasion. He helped invent a way of life that combined monasticism and knighthood. Praying at night and fighting during the day became, thanks to Bernard, a commendable religious vocation. Bernard's attachment to knights, in the hope of their becoming monks, is also shown in a story about how some young knights found their way to Clairvaux. Meanwhile, the story of Bernard's participation in the mystery of Christ's birth indicates that as a child he took part with great intensity in the liturgical year and made Christian symbols an integral part of his life.

Fables (selections)

The Fables are drawn from several short texts that Fénelon’s editors have previously gathered under the title Fables et opuscules pédagogiques. They comprise a range of writings that Fénelon composed for the political education of the Duke of Burgundy, grandson of Louis XIV and Petit Dauphin, during his tenure as court tutor. Important contributions to a genre pioneered by Aesop and La Fontaine, they have long been regarded as significant literary achievements as well as key vehicles for lessons in the virtues necessary for just rule and the means of establishing political order.

Correspondence

Chapter 4 presents three of Fénelon’s letters. The Letter to Louis XIV is a striking excoriation of both the character and rule of Louis XIV. An enduring model of what it looks like to speak truth to power, the Letter offers an uncompromising critique of the obsession with grandeur and glory that led Louis to privilege his image and the image of his court over the well-being of his people. Alongside it appear two further selections from Fénelon’s extensive correspondence—a letter to the chief advisor to the King of Spain and a letter to the Duke of Burgundy grown to adulthood—that likewise offer insight into his views on the responsibilities of advisors to and holders of executive authority.

Examination of Conscience on the Duties of Kingship[Pl. 2:973–1009]

The Examination of Conscience on the Duties of Kingship (c. 1709–1711) is one of Fénelon’s most important contributions to political theory. Prior to receiving the sacrament of penance, Catholics have been traditionally expected to make an examination of conscience. Here Fénelon uses this genre to present the mature Duke of Burgundy with a probing inquiry into the psychology of political rule and the ways in which a ruler can transcend his pride to work for the well-being of the people he serves. The text is especially noteworthy for its conclusion, which sets forth what has been seen by some of the most prominent experts in international relations as the first modern articulation of balance-of-power theory.