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Hi Mike,

Great reports and photos, it looks like you are doing better down there than I am up here in the midlands.

Cheers,

Neil

Neil, Thanks. Mike ...

A 'one cardigan day' with intermittant Sunshine and some Wind.

A day of three parts; we started out beside the Upper Bedon Stream (previously visited a few days earlier).

Once again, our luck was in; seeeing Comma, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies viz.
Also a Small White Butterfly (alas no picture).

Moving onto the nearby Holly Hill Open Space for our first visit of 2016 we almost immediately chanced upon a Small White Butterfly visiting a Common Daisy viz.
We then came across some Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies visiting Spring Blossom viz.
Also some Peacock Butterflies (alas no pictures).

And another Small White Butterfly, this time visiting Purple Archangel (aka Red Dead-Nettle) viz.
Moving on to our third Port of Call, the Erith Marshes (aka the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area) we first spotted a Hummingbird Fly (aka Bee Fly) viz.
We focused our Butterfly spotting activity on the Public Footpath that connects the Reserve to Belvedere Road; seeing Comma, Green-Veined White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Small White Butterflies viz.
Also, a Brimstone Butterfly which whooshed past with no sign of settling, so no picture.

And then it was time to do a spot of shopping and go home.

Great that you managed to see so many butterflies today. It has rained all day here!

When you see a green-veined white,you know that orange tips are just around the corner.

NickMorgan: thanks for noticing these; it was dreary both yesterday and today here with some rain (and fairly strong wind yesterday) It would be nice to see the Sun again sometime!

essexbuzzard: thanks for noticing these; we are hopeful of an Orange-Tip sometime soon. Some sun would be nice too!

That looks like a cracking day - five species in one sitting Looking forward to your imminent Orange-tip shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely shots Mike, hope we see more Butterflies up our way soon, only two species seen up to now. Goldie

Dear Wurzel and Goldie M: Thanks for noticing the pictures &c. Hopefully the Weather will improve and we get some more Sun (in short supply recently) so we can all see lots of Butterflies &c. Including some Orange-Tips!

We wondered if we had tempted fate by hoping to see some Orange-Tip Butterflies. Thankfully not.

With the Sun starting to shine we trotted down to the fairly sheltered Public Footpath in the Belvedere area (close to the Crossness Nature Reserve) where we have seen quite a few Butterflies already this year.

And Yippee; our luck was in and we spotted a couple of Orange-Tip Butterflies viz.
Other Butterflies seen during our Outing, both on this Footpath and on the neighbouring Crossness Nature Reserve were: Brimstones, Commas, Green-Veined Whites, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells, Small Whites and a Speckled Wood.

Cracking shots and a female to boot Mike, they're normally a good way behind the males - hopefully I'll get one soon

Have a goodun

Wurzel

You lucky boy, Mike! That's the first image of a female I've seen thus far in 2016 (beating Neil Hulme by a day!!)

Fantastic find Mike, looks like the OT"s are really on the way now, love your photo's Goldie

Wurzel: My fingers are crossed for you; and hopefully you'll see an Orange-Tip Butterfly soon. But some super pictures of the Osprey; well done ...

David M and Goldie: thanks ...

If I have learned anything about Butterflies during the short time I have been looking for them, chasing after them &c., I think it is that there is no such thing as an 'Ugly Duckling' in the Butterfly World.

I was recently fortunate enough to come across a couple of Orange-Tip Butterflies; they are of course, super-attractive.

Not something I would necessarily have said about some species viz. Green-Veined White and Speckled Wood; and yet it has come as something of an eye-opener to me to find that they are actually no less attractive viz.

I think Mike that your photos are great, I love how the GVW stands out in the back ground of Blue and how the Green looks fantastic has a back ground for the Speckie, it just proves given the right surroundings every Butterfly can look good. Goldie

Goldie M: thanks. I was surprised, particularly with the Speckled Wood although I think they look more attractive side-ways on ...

We are currently enjoying something of a love affair with Green-Veined White Butterflies although since we are rather fickle, it may not be long before we move on to something else!

With yesterday being warmer than we had either expected or hoped for, we again trotted down to the fairly sheltered Public Footpath in the Belvedere area (close to the Crossness Nature Reserve) and saw a couple of Butterflies, one visiting a Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill and the other Bluebells viz.
And as we walked through the small wooded area of the Nature Reserve on the way back to the car, we spotted another Green-Veined White Butterfly, in the company of an assumed Greenfly, on a Buttercup viz.
Other Butterflies seen included Peacocks and Small Whites.

Great shots Mike, no sign of the GVW here yet it's been too cold but hope fully they'll soon arrive Goldie

Goldie M; I hope it warms up and you have better luck soon ...