I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited about getting a new camera, Pete! I never replace things until they wear out but when they do I always look forward to the upgrade. In theory, there should be an increase in the quality of my pictures, but that remains to be seen ...Pete Eeles wrote:Sorry to hear about the death of your camera, Guy - and I'm glad you're replacing it! I don't know what we'd do without you to relieve the short winter days! And that 3rd QoS is remarkably fresh.
Yes, that third Queen of Spain is in very good nick. The species is quite simply continuously brooded - individuals can be found in any state of repair at any time of year. Last year I photographed several on 17th December, shortly before flying back to the UK for Christmas, and then saw them again early in January on my return. Red admirals and clouded yellows are wasting their energy at this time of year but Queens breed fruitfully because their foodplant, Viola tricolor, is available throughout the winter. It was in full flower today:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2014/violatricolor13dec2014a.jpg)
This, of course, is also the foodplant of the cardinal ...
Guy