Walking the dogs this morning I was delighted to be joined by a Small Copper which flew past me along the footpath.
Seeing a Small Copper before breakfast was inspiration enough to head down to Dungeness.
The whole estate is in bloom and there were plenty of butterflies including Painted Lady
Brown Argus, Common Blue, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and a Small White.
As for Coppers, I counted only 8
This is the sort of number I'd expect in late May/early June.
I didn't find any fresh models
This Lesser Spotted Copper caught my eye
It's an interesting variation I see now and again.
And this female with a nice "Ray" pattern on the hindwings
But we're definitely at the fag end of the first brood now
Still, that means the second brood is on its way!
ps. A photograph I took of a beetle at Dungeness on 29th April was seen by the reserve warden who then took expert advice and it's been identified as Hister quadrimaculatus, only the fifth British record!
I'd named it the "Open Bracket - Close Bracket Beetle"...
I think I'll stick to Small Coppers!