Thank you everyone. It was a great day and luck was there as well, considering the day before and the one after were nothing like so good.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
One day we'll meet, Pauline - our territories do definitely overlap a bit so it's bound to happen one day. Second brood Wood Whites in August?
Wednesday 21st was a day back at work and far too hot to contemplate any activity after I finished. As reported, it reached 35.5 degrees hereabouts and was still around 30 at sunset. I doubt I would have seen much anyway, except perhaps for Red Admirals flying after dark, something I've seen here before in hot weather.
Thursday 22nrd June was another day at work, but mostly cloudy and more sensible in terms of temperature. I had an hour around five to look around my local patch under the warm overcast. On reaching the open meadow area between the motorway and the M25, I found surprising numbers of butterflies. They were mostly Meadow Browns, but every footstep disturbed one or two. In amongst them were Small Heaths, and a selection of Skippers - photos confirmed there were both Small and Essex flying, as well as a few more tired-looking Large ones.
![ES1 220617.JPG (3.29 MiB) Viewed 625 times Essex Skipper](./files/thumb_9839_f51841dedec8f2baac3fdb691287deb2)
- Essex Skipper
![SS1 220627.JPG (2.71 MiB) Viewed 625 times Small Skipper](./files/thumb_9839_3247add303f5afc4f2ddc8d1425542d7)
- Small Skipper
![SS2 220617.JPG (2.12 MiB) Viewed 625 times Small Skipper](./files/thumb_9839_32eb1f310ccb3f71d63778ebdf46d465)
- Small Skipper
As I ambled along the edge of the meadow where there are banks of brambles, I watched what I thought was male Meadow Brown completely ignore a basking female. Unsurprising, really - it was actually a male Ringlet.
In the end I saw three or four. This may not seem significant, but I rarely see more than one or two here all year, and this is a dry year, something they don't much care for. Species 20 for 2017 here, too. Heading for home, inevitably there were a selection of Commas...
...and just as predictably a series of Red Admirals all the way back, each territory overlapping with the next with border disputes aplenty. One settled in front of me.
Dave