![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
Tuesday May 12th was less chilly with reasonable amounts of sun, and I managed to count over 50 butterflies on my local patch. Small Heaths in particular were popping out of the grass everywhere and I saw at least 14. The dry weather has prompted a few butterflies to look for ground moisture, and this female Green-veined White was an example. Unusually, she was joined by a male Orange Tip - not something you see this species doing very often. There seemed to be a small increase in GVW numbers today in fact, illustrating the variability in markings. Brown Argus were also showing well, though none in amusing poses today. Finally, another good performance from the Holly Blue contingent. I managed to catch an example of female rejection behaviour - the rapid wing fluttering exhibited by this and a few other species (I've seen Silver-studded Blues do this, and also Small Coppers). The photos also show a distinct colour difference between the male and female. I think the female is the one in the first HB shot above, and is definitely a more grey-blue shade. The male is the next one down, and is distinctly bluer. Something else to add to my building dossier on the species!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Dave