The forecast was good so I played hookey from church and went down to Fermyn Woods - I went in the second week of July last year but all the reports said the butterflies were out earlier this year. I arrived about 11.45am and as I walked up the path from the gate opposite the airfield the first butterfly to catch my eye was a Green Veined White which settled in a tree. I saw a small group of people obviously watching something on the ground and edging closer I saw it was a Purple Emperor; it was quite oblivious to our presence. They said it was a female - unusually - as there was no purple on it, and remarked how the males had all stayed in the trees and only females had come down. I got some shots of it and when I examined them later it seemed to me that there was in fact some blue/purple sheen, so it must have been the angle.
A hundred yards further on another PE was being admired, and as I walked slowly towards it, the butterfly left the group and flew towards me, landing at my feet. I was thrilled and hardly dared move, but carefully got the camera onto position and got some shots. This one also appeared to be brown, but again, later examination showed a hint of purple.
Continuing along the path I noticed several White Admirals which were flying quite low and nectaring on the brambles - there were so many I couldn't believe I had seen only one last year, not counting the one I accidentally bumped into so that it flew away.
There has been an explosion of Ringlets which were everywhere along the verges - in fact they were the first butterflies to greet me when I parked the car down the road. Meadow Browns were also quite abundant and Speckled Woods flitted in the shadier areas.
I came to a sunny corner which I remembered for being popular with skippers last year, but instead of skippers it had been taken over by Silver Washed Frits. There were six or eight flitting around and nectaring on the brambles, apparently not minding the Commas and Meadow Browns which were sharing the same flowers with them. There were both males and females, which at first I mistook for Dark Greens, but of course their underwings gave them away. I spent a good forty minutes there until a man who had previously spoken to me came back to say there was a Purple Hairstreak round the corner. It was newly emerged and was resting, pumping up its wings in the sun. It gathered quite an audience, and when I left I discovered another flat out on the ground just fifty yards away. It looked in poor shape as though it had been knocked down, but when I gently touched it, it sat up and folded its wings, giving a good view of the streak. I was impressed by the size of some of the lenses which were subsequently trained upon it.
An audience for the Purple Hairstreak
Further on I found Red Admiral - I saw only three all day - and where the trees receded the Skippers appeared. Three Small Tortoiseshells showed up and I thought it might be a colony, but although I watched for a while no more appeared. A Large White flew past, clearly on a mission and although it almost lit on the occasional flower it would not stop. I still haven't managed a record picture of one this year. The two Small Whites I saw were more amenable.
Although I walked all round Ladywood, I did not see any PEs there, or indeed anything which I had not already seen in the first part of the woods. By now it was 5.30pm and back near the entrance gate I found a SW Frit which had just emerged but it seemed to be in difficulties - one forewing was not pumping up. Maybe it just needed more time.
It was a most successful day, clocking fourteen varieties, the most I have ever seen in one day.
Oh well, I knew it wasn't an Essex. 
