Today I visited a small disused quarry site a few miles from my hometown.......weather, well , a steel grey sky..ring any bells. Meadow Brown and Ringlet were the only Butterflies willing to risk it. 4 long hours of nothing....when suddenly, by a flash I was blinded.........a bright light in the sky.....UFO!.........SECOND COMING ...perhaps.......no....twas that legendary star, they call the sun.
Chaos ensued.....50 Meadow Brown took to the sky, in hot pursuit , came 50 Ringlet.......an ariel dogfight to decide who got the thistle heads position. Not all the Ringlets made it as they were cut off by Small Skippers flying out of the sun,but what is this...Common Blue circle the remaining Ringlet, and ground them. A squadron of Common Darters move in,twisting and turning, but they themselves have Small Skippers on there tail. A single Northern Brown Argus takes to the air, but has to retreat under fire to the safety of the clovers. During all this melee, they were totally unaware that a very out of shape photographer..gasping for air ,sweating like an Ox....was lumbering around, trying , mostly in vain to get one or two credible photos. Just as I was near collapse , Narrow Bordered 5 spot Burnet ,too many to count, rose up into the fading light, in red and black cloaks, carried by the breeze and sinking out of site amongst the vetch cover. Oh but I saw it ....the legendary yellow star.........but now , a steel grey sky......and nothing stirs.
Cheers IAC.
