I think the early season will affect what you see, Paul, though this won't be negative unless you have particular targets which risk burning out before you get here. For every butterfly that does finish early there will be others coming early onto the wing, so I don't think there's anything to worry about.Paul Wetton wrote:Will all this early emergence have a knock on effect for my visit later in the year, do you think, or will everything have settled into a more normal thythm by the end of June?
Today continued the trend for early appearances, with the first Adonis blues flying. This one, warming up at about 10.30am, was the first of many, including one female:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/bellargus111.jpg)
Surprisingly, a turquoise blue was also on the wing, my earliest date for that species by some considerable margin:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/dorylas112.jpg)
Camberwell beauties are not so prominent this year as last - I think they prefer a harsher winter - but they are still quite easy to find. This one is defending his territory along a path by the river:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/antiopa115.jpg)
Here are a few other piccies from two sites in the Rhône Valley:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/argiolus112.jpg)
(Holly blue)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/alexis116.jpg)
(Green-underside blue)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/onopordi118.jpg)
(Rosy grizzled skipper, Pyrgus onopordi)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/podalirius113.jpg)
(Scarce swallowtail)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/alceae112.jpg)
(Mallow skipper)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/alfacariensis112.jpg)
(Berger's pale clouded yellow)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/sinapis113.jpg)
(Wood white)
All the real hibernators were flying (no red admirals seen). Small tortoiseshells were ragged beyond decent but large tortoiseshells still have some dignity:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/polychloros115.jpg)
It's a truly lovely time of year.
Guy