I was fortunate to spend my childhood in a tiny village in the countryside, surrounded by butterflies during the summer, but last year (by now in my mid-thirties) was my first season taking a serious interest in learning about them, rather than just enjoying watching them! I've since become a regular reader, if only very occasional poster, here on the forum & not only have I very much enjoyed hearing of people's butterflying exploits & seeing their pictures, but I've also learnt a great deal from the vast wealth of knowledge the members share. Thank you! Obviously, I'm still very much a 'beginner', but I'm enjoying making many new (to me!) discoveries.
This year, I thought I'd start a thread to keep track of my own adventures following these little winged wonders. Today is the first day I've managed to get out specifically looking for butterflies but, in the interest of thoroughness, here's a quick note of species seen in 2016 prior to today: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Red Admiral. A rather slow start, perhaps, but it took me a while to get going last year as well, and I managed to finish the year with twenty two species spotted.
15/05/16
Somewhat delayed in heading out, I eventually made it to one of my favourite spots for late morning - Warburg nature reserve. There weren't many butterflies about, and those I did find were reluctant to settle for long enough for me to photograph, but I did manage to see: Dingy Skipper, Comma, Large White, Brimstone, Orange Tip, Small Heath, Common Blue and a lone Green Hairstreak - this last a first for me!
- Dingy Skipper
- Common Blue
- Small Heath
- Lardon Chase
- Common Blue
Looking forward to seeing much more Goldie 
! Welcome though, it's a very addictive hobby 
