Sunday 24.4.2016 Stephens Castle Down
Initially the weather did not look very appealing today, but it did brighten up
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
. I thought I would check out my local Duke site. I was not expecting to see any Duke of Burgundy as this is a much later site than some, but I thought there might be a chance of an Orange Tip or Grizzled Skipper. Butterflies were actually very thin on the ground, not even a Brimstone which are normally very numerous here at this time of the year. A single male Small White and a handful of Peacocks was all I saw
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
.
![P1080868.JPG (688.46 KiB) Viewed 611 times This female was busy laying eggs in almost exactly the same spot as I recorded almost exactly a year ago.](./files/thumb_11661_6de6e7038deba65384467bebae014b7c)
- This female was busy laying eggs in almost exactly the same spot as I recorded almost exactly a year ago.
One Peacock busy laying her eggs in almost exactly the same position as I recorded in my diary last year.
![P1080897.JPG (860.61 KiB) Viewed 611 times The resulting egg mass](./files/thumb_11661_44a42639d24b69207c27c50cd642f497)
- The resulting egg mass
I have still only seen 6 species this year, hopefully the season will get moving soon.
Back at home I was suddenly aware of a Small White feebly fluttering in the garden. I did not see this freshly emerged individual arrive so, in my head, I would like to think this was derived from one of the larvae that were living in my garden at the end of last year
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
.
![P1080914.JPG (1002.82 KiB) Viewed 611 times Perhaps this Small White was derived from one of the larvae present in my garden last Autumn.](./files/thumb_11661_c69e8f9495cd031145721a6307518052)
- Perhaps this Small White was derived from one of the larvae present in my garden last Autumn.