Thanks, Trevor, Sarah and David. I always think of Orange-tips as Nature's Prozac - every sighting lifts the spirits. Fingers crossed that plenty emerge for all of us to enjoy by mid-April. BWs, Neil I like that nature's Prozac thought Neil. The Blackthorn budding and then gradually starting to flo...

Perrmission granted by Woodland Trust to spray dog excrement with paint - on the proviso that I buy the paint from Tudor Environmental. I was told that I was not the first person to bring the amount of dog excrement in those woods to their attention. They are going to put up new signs. I have just h...

The sun half-heartedly appeared today for a while. As a consequence, 12 butterfles appeared for me - 6 Small Tortoiseshell, 3 Small White, 2 Speckled Wood and a Peacock. Butterfly notebook put away and back at my kitchen table doing my job, I saw a white butterfly fluttering about in the garden out ...

Stevieb wrote: ↑Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:26 pm Totally agree Otep. My dog generally accompanies ne on my forays but I make sure he 'goes' before we set off. Don't get me going about turds in the middle of tracks and poo bags in trees!!!

Your first 2 photos are never to be forgotten Stevie. Absolutely fantastic !

Fantastic SSS photos Pauline. A species that I have yet to see but hopefully I will rectify that in 2022. I have scribbled down Aston Rowan Nature Reserve somewhere near High Wycombe as somewhere that they can be seen.

I was grumbling to myself last night about not seeing any Orange Tip yet. This is only my 3rd season. Looking back at records of my previous 2 seasons, I don't seem to get any here in South Derbyshire until the second half of April.

Encountering 3 or 4 new piles of dog excrement near to the gate of my local woodland which attracts the most fouling, I reached my breaking point. I have sourced (but not bought) some temporary yellow paint which has a lifespan of 2-3 months (less if it rains a lot). Then I wrote to Woodland Trust a...

Excellent set of photos Trevor. Extremely clear and crisp.I particularly like the Speckled Wood. More butterflies where you are than where I am. It was dull, extremely windy and the air had a chill to it.

Lovely photos as usual Paul. I really like the Heron photo, though it feels wrong to single one photo out from the others. My Saturday featured 2 transect walks featuring sun and butterflies for 80% of the walks and 20% of snow and no butterflies.

Fantastic photos Pauline. I am particularly taken by the arrangement in your post of 4 September 2021. I am a winter hibernator and had not seen the post until now. If I had seen those in a shop I would have bought them and hung them on my wall.

That was extremely interesting and informative and a great start to my Sunday morning. Thanks Neil.

To echo the weather summary of ZZW, my transect walking season commenced yesterday. With both, I completed 8 of the 10 sections with 100% sun in blue skies, and the last 2 sections were accompanied by snowflakes under a dark sky. 7 Small Tortoiseshells were out in total.

Thank you for the camera information Paul - and congratulations on yet another lovely set of photos. I liked the description of woodpeckers 'yaffling' at each other. :lol: The tale of the Comma nearly taking your head is one that resonates with me. I have yet to receive a butterfly headbutt in 2022 ...

Holly Blue 30-40 Brimstone 25-30 Speckled Wood 4 Comma 4 Peacock 3 Red Admiral 1 Large White 1 - I really like the Brimstone but hardly see any locally. - I am lucky if I see 20 Holly Blue locally in a whole year. - It will be months before I see a Small Copper locally. I feel a bit dejected now. :...

Deborah wrote: ↑Wed Mar 30, 2022 1:32 pm Not sure that it’s not because it’s the first of this year - but this Wall Brown seems particularly beautiful to me.

I thought that was a Wall too until I scrolled down.

What a wonderful butterfly garden Phil. Congratulations.

I saw the grand total of 2 butterflies today, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 1 Small White. :cry: I presume your area was affected by that fog, Otep? When I woke, I looked at the BBC weather forecast and it showed 'Mist' for that hour. I looked out of the window and there was nothing of the sort. In fac...

Hi Otep. It's great to hear that your local woods are being coppiced; this traditional management is sadly all-too-rare these days, which is why species such as Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Fringe-horned Mason Bee and Hazel Dormouse have declined so spectacularly. On the other hand, it won't suit Spe...

I have been feeling disquieted by the mildness of this winter, and to have my suspicions confirmed by such early green companionship is making me all too worried about the year to come. Yes, I think we could do with a bit of rain. A lot of my garden is dust. I believe that the week ahead offers a s...

Nice photo David. There are not any Holly Blues in my part of the world so far.

I saw the grand total of 2 butterflies today, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 1 Small White.