Sunday 9th March
Yesterday (Saturday) was a dry and pleasant day but with a high overcast that didn’t really start clearing until too late in the afternoon to really make the most of, so I spent most of the afternoon having a bit of a clear up in the garden.
Today (Sunday) was much better with clear blue sky and plenty of sun all day. I had the usual domestics to do this morning but nipped into the garden a couple of times and was pleased to have my first garden butterfly of the year
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
, a male Brimstone that passed through without stopping.
Not long afterwards I had the second one, a Peacock that hung around for a while basking in the sun...
![Coverdale 09.03.2014 016resize.JPG (706.96 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Peacock - Coverdale 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_0a58d99cc5496a77580b52aa2d90e679)
- Peacock - Coverdale 09.03.2014
Anyone who read my diary last year may remember that I collected some Peacock larvae from my nettle patch and reared a dozen or so adults that I released back into the garden. I couldn’t help wondering if the Peacock today was one of those that I had released last year, an amazing thought if it was.
A little later another Brimstone, or possibly the same one as earlier, came passing through again.
I had visited Castle Hills near Solihull last weekend without any butterfly success so with a couple of hours spare this afternoon I just had to go back to see what the sun had brought out.
A slow circuit of the footpaths across the site during the next couple of hours produced at least 12 Small Tortoiseshells including a couple of pairs displaying courtship behaviour...
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 023resize.JPG (622.69 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_f357900a3cd71ae4a449b129e13fdfe4)
- Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 033resize.JPG (638.05 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Small Tortoiseshells - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_9309ec777594789f8452ef9bd4c78bac)
- Small Tortoiseshells - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 047resize.JPG (546.85 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_3a31d7e5d789c17872012d4290750896)
- Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
...at least 9 Peacocks…
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 090resize.JPG (662.95 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Peacock - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_c3748120e472c4198c389694003853dc)
- Peacock - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 129resize.JPG (648.01 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Peacock - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_ec56850d34dd2dac006dd5365bd003ad)
- Peacock - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
...and half a dozen or so Commas,
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 049resize.JPG (607.92 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_c9362e714be0d15410057a28659c97f8)
- Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 072resize.JPG (563.86 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_081288a97812fa533722327412b02c00)
- Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 110resize.JPG (535.58 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_aa00dddec86e7feef377b8c5cc52f137)
- Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
![Castle Hills 09.03.2014 115resize.JPG (512.61 KiB) Viewed 1097 times Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014](./files/thumb_10101_8928617e222f4724552c8351de203bc8)
- Comma - Castle Hills 09.03.2014
There may well have been more of each of these but I am always wary of double counting, especially with these species that can patrol backwards and forwards along a stretch of hedgerow giving the impression that there are more individuals than there really are.
I didn’t see any more Brimstones after the one, or maybe two, in the garden in the morning and unfortunately no Red Admirals although I was not really expecting any of these considering that I did not see any around here late last year.
A great day which has got my season off to a fantastic start with four species seen in one day, a good four weeks earlier than I saw anything last year.
Bye for now,
Neil.