28th April 2019, Royal Wood,1.30-2.30 pm, Overcast, 13 degrees Gloria was doing a garden centre trip so I dropped her off and spent a while at this common - part woodland, part scrub, part heath. Not a lot was happening but I did see a bunch of day-flying micro-moths buzzing around a few gorse bushe...

David - I actually have a fair size patch of Ramsons growing in the woodland right next to my house and the "gentle aroma" as you put it so well, likes to waft through the open windows of our house when it gets a chance!

Kev - I was lucky with the OTip shot but I was able to do the same last year at this location too. Its a sheltered spot in a churchyard given over to the wildlife and it seems to be working wonders. Wurzel - I have no clue at all regarding polyploidy of false oxlips. In fact until you told me about ...

26th April 2019, Noar Hill, 12.30 - 1.30 pm, 80% cloud, keen breeze, 15 degree in sun, 14 in shade Like yesterday, given the conditions I was lucky to see 5 species. This time Brim, OTip, Peacock, L White and Duke. But today the flowers were the thing. Firstly the Early Purple orchids are out. Then ...

I agree, Goldie. The very essence of spring.

25th April 2019, Kingsley, 12noon - 1pm, 80 percent cloud cover, keen breeze, 14 degrees in sun, 13 in shade I was not sure if I would find much under these conditions but I got five species. OTip, H Blue, Sp Wd, Peacock and Greenstreak. None flew for long because the breeze and shade kept them down...

Thanks, Wurzel - I'll check 'em out.

David - The weather has taken a downturn here too - so no more Dingies for me either - at least for a week. Wurzel - Nice to hear you got Small Heaths up on Sidbury Hill. Also, did you know this bit of interesting info about Sidbury Hill? It is the highest hill on the horizon from Stonehenge and the...

23rd April 2019, Noar Hill, 1-3pm, hazy, 20 degrees Noar Hill more or less goes to sleep at far as butterflies are concerned mid-afternoon (butterfly siesta?) but I thought I'd give it a try. My reasoning was that the Dukes and Dingies might be less skittish without the direct sun on them and to a c...

23rd April 2019, Kingsley, 10-11 am, very hazy, some sun, 16-18 degrees Nothing new today - really just a bit of a consolidation of springtime species. 5 H Blue (all male), 5 Sp Wd, 2 OTip (1m, 1f), 1 Greenstreak. Unfortunately all pics were taken at distance on long zoom and hand-held so I had a de...

Janet - I have lived less than 10 miles away from Noar Hill for nearly 20 years now so I sometimes forget how difficult it is to get to see Dukes without a bit of a journey for other people. But then for me to see PB Frits takes a journey of around an hour. Wurzel - It was a funny thing. As I was wa...

21st April 2019, Noar Hill, 9.00 - 11.30 am, Full Sun, 13-22 degrees 15 Dukes, 1 Burnet Companion, 3 Mint Moth, 3 Greenstreaks, 2 Peacock, 1 Sm Tort, 3 Sp Wd, 7 H Blue, >10 Brim, >10 OTip, swarm of Adela Reaumurella moths and my first two Dingies of the year. Dukes Duke 2019 (2).JPG Duke 2019 (1).JP...

David - I was well chuffed with the mating OTips. It was a first for me.

Wurzel - I went to Noar Hill today and found 15 Dukes too. I wonder if they were all the same ones.

Wurzel. My apologies. I realised I had not caught up with your diary for awhile so I rectified that this morning. First - Hope you are surviving your Op OK. I guess you must be as you did the trip to Noar Hill after all. Incidentally - you have convinced me to visit there today after your comment ab...

Wow! I mean really WOW. Love that Emperor moth shot. I've never seen that species before and your pic is a stunner. Its "eyes" really do seem to be looking straight at you.

Gary. Greenstreaks mating! And on a gorse flower too. I love the green/yellow combination in the pic.

Goldie - I'm going through peoples posts of the last few weeks.

Love the shots of the Kestrel up a tree looking down at you, but sorry to hear about your foot. Hope you get well very soon.

April 20th 2019, Magdalen Hill Bottom (again) 9.15 - 11.45 am, Full Sun, 15 to 21 degrees Another visit today and I'm glad I did. 7 H Blue, 6 Grizzlies, 2 Greenstreak, >10 Brims, many females looking for egglaying sites, >10 OTips, 1 Peacock, 1 Small Copper, 2 Mint Moth, 1 Common Marbled Carpet moth...

David I've been going back through your last few weeks posts. You've been having a great time, haven't you? I have been trying to get fully open wing shots of the Holly Blue but without real success. You seem to have nailed that one fair and square though. Then you had the mating Speckled Woods. I h...

Dave Well it looks as though you have seen and pictured all the early spring butterflies! But from the last few weeks, my favourite pic of yours was the airborne "fighting" Commas at "Comma Corner". It gives a hint of the excitement of seeing such butterfly behaviour without actu...