![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Wednesday 19th May was actually forecast to be a sunnier day with less chance of showers, so another trip out seemed essential. This time I headed to Totternhoe once again, primarily to see whether many Dukes were out, and also on the chance that Small Blues might also have appeared.
As soon as I was on the path along the bottom of the chalk "cliff" I could tell from the still underdeveloped vegetation that the latter species was unlikely, but I soon spotted a few Dingy Skippers. However, it was at the furthest point of my walk, in the last of the old chalk workings, that I found any Dukes. In the end I think there were perhaps half a dozen, including one female. The female was clearly very full of eggs. Inevitably the sun went in but it did mean I managed some good views of her colourful and attractive underside, and it is possible to see that she has six fully functional legs as opposed to the four of the males. Aside from the fairly common Dingy Skippers, there was not much else flying. A couple of Peacocks popped up, and I was surprised by a faded Small Tortoiseshell at one point, but the only other interest came with a female Brimstone egg-laying on a tiny buckthorn sapling right in front of me. Dave