Since those February sightings, things have been very frustrating in these here parts. Days have been warm, but cloudy and/or wet, or they have been bright and cold (and probably windy too!). A few better days last week coincided with a spell of isolation as a close friend went down with COVID and despite failing completely to pass it on (thankfully) ten days of enforced inactivity is not fun. (She has recovered, by the way!)
Monday 29th March
However, that's all over now, and suddenly after an indifferent weekend, today we were plunged into an early summer. Temperatures locally climbed above 20 degrees and the sun shone. The clocks have thoughtfully changed too, prolonging the afternoons. The butterflies hereabouts must have been sitting poised for this, as over an hour or two at lunchtime I found 20 individuals at least, of no fewer than six species.
There were three Commas - beating the aggregate total I saw during September and October last year, which suggests they too are hibernating earlier these days.
Talking of early hibernation, it was good to see two Small Tortoiseshells (probably the first sightings since July).
I hardly ever see Brimstones in the summer either, but at least six appeared today, including two females.
One of the latter was very white at a distance, but identified itself properly close too - another similar sighting turned out to be a Small White, but it didn't stop.
However, another white butterfly did persistently stop to nectar, and I was surprised to find it was a male GVW - possibly the earliest I've seen one here.
The most numerous of all, predictably, was the Peacock - but I didn't get that close to many of them. However, there was one which did pause for a while on some muddy ground and proved to be well worth a shot or two. Obviously months of hibernation takes its toll, and some individuals emerge into the spring sunlight distinctly faded and worn, but this one was a bit more extreme. It was as if the printer had run out of bright blue ink - This led to the closest I've ever seen to a "blind" Peacock. I wish I'd encountered this individual back in the summer.
All in all, a proper start to the season now.
Dave