In my day, back in Suffolk, February wasn't a butterfly month, Buggy!!
It's not really a butterfly month out here either. Today I got up early and headed off to Italy, in case a few early large tortoiseshells might be tempted out to play. It was a glorious day, and very warm by February standards (10°C when I headed back home) but in the end I saw just three small tortoiseshells and a roding brimstone.
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/21feb2018b.jpg)
(a little village on the outskirts of Domodossola)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/minnie21feb2018a.jpg)
(under the bridge in Domodossola)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/rhamni21feb2018a.jpg)
(I couldn't sneak round him to get a view from the sunny side because there was a 200ft drop on my right ...)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2018/urticae21feb2018a.jpg)
(made in Italy but just like small tortoiseshells everywhere!)
Minnie made friends with some Italian dogs while I chatted to their owners. The dogs communicated with each other perfectly, apparently understanding every gesture and yelp. We didn't! I don't speak Italian and they didn't speak French, so we got little further than identifying which of our dogs were male and female and that I was Swiss.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
It made everyone happy, though.
Guy