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Finally! My first butterfly sighting of the year. A Small Tortoishell. Bring on Spring!

i saw my first small tort today in the sunshine, bit chilly but made my day

Mull 4th April

Stirred from my sick bed. I'm steadily feeling better. So ventured outside briefly.

This Peacock cheered me up. If he can survive like that, then what's a little gastroenteritis for a human? (I'm in good company - the Queen’s recent complaint).



Jack

Jack Harrison wrote:This Peacock cheered me up.

Glad to know you are on the mend and seeing butterflies

No chance here - it's snowing in the South

Mike

That Peacock is in a mess, Jack. Thankfully, you'll be fine in a few days. Our winged friend is doomed though.

at last I can report a red admiral, a comma and 3 Brimstones in the garden today.

Just one Peacock at Woodhouse Copse,IOW today and only Commas(6) at Walters Copse.

7 Small Tortoiseshells and 1 Peacock seen today on Kilvey Hill in Swansea.

One Comma flew through my Oxon garden just after lunch. I shall restrain my enthusiasm for the moment, on the grounds that "One Comma does not a Summer make"

Mike

Saw my first butterfly this year a nice Brimstone on my allotment. Not a sausage at my usual spot though, still hoping to see a Green Hairstreak there later this year (rarely visits)

Three Brimstone seen while driving to Old Sarum (literally over a space of 4 minutes) then 2 more and 2 Small Torts once there. Called in at Five Rivers and the banks had minimum 4 maximum 6 Small Torts, 2 Brimstone and my first Comma of the year Cracking!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

No butterflies to report here I'm afraid. Nice bit of sun on and off during the day but still a bit of a cool breeze. However, the Wall brown larva now almost fully grown on High and Over. Had to search a while before finding one. Then onto Cradle Hill where a Firecrest gave some fantastic views. A bit further along I heard the distinctive mewing call of Mediteranean Gulls, very strange place to find them. At least 4 mixed in with other gulls.

My first butterfly of 2013 - Brimstone
Today I had the sad task of helping clear my father in laws house who passed away last year. His home was a beautiful 16th century stone cottage in Watledge, a small hamlet on a hill overlooking the beautiful Cotswold village of Nailsworth. The day was very sobering, for all of the obvious reasons, but as I sat in the cottage garden eating my lunch, alone with my thoughts, a pristine male brimstone descended from the clear blue sky to investigate the Primroses in the garden. Somehow it just felt right.
Mark

Tuts wrote:His home was a beautiful 16th century stone cottage in Watledge, a small hamlet on a hill overlooking the beautiful Cotswold village of Nailsworth.

Wow. I often explain with pride to others that my late mum's cottage is 260 years old.

I guess it's a mere stripling compared to your father in law's.

My first butterfly of 2013 - Brimstone
Today I had the sad task of helping clear my father in laws house who passed away last year. His home was a beautiful 16th century stone cottage in Watledge, a small hamlet on a hill overlooking the beautiful Cotswold village of Nailsworth. The day was very sobering, for all of the obvious reasons, but as I sat in the cottage garden eating my lunch, alone with my thoughts, a pristine male brimstone descended from the clear blue sky to investigate the Primroses in the garden. Somehow it just felt right.
Mark

Cheers David - its delightful - a proper hobbit house set in to the side of the hill with windows at the front, spiral staircase that you have to be 5ft 4in to negotiate and a cellar that you access from the front room that is dug into the hill behind!
Sadly now it has passed out of the family who had owned it for four generations

Tuts wrote:My first butterfly of 2013 - Brimstone
Today I had the sad task of helping clear my father in laws house who passed away last year. His home was a beautiful 16th century stone cottage in Watledge, a small hamlet on a hill overlooking the beautiful Cotswold village of Nailsworth. The day was very sobering, for all of the obvious reasons, but as I sat in the cottage garden eating my lunch, alone with my thoughts, a pristine male brimstone descended from the clear blue sky to investigate the Primroses in the garden. Somehow it just felt right.
Mark

Hi Mark, it sounds a lovely place and left you with a nice memory to leave it with.

A trundle around Solihull this afternoon resulted in single examples of Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Peacock.

Neil F.

3 or 4 Brimstone today all male along my favourite local footpath between Hedge End and Botley. Sunny and warmer all day today.
More of the same tomorrow please

Hi,

Three Small Tortoiseshells seen this afternoon on the edge of Ipswich. Ironically it took until June for me to see this many in 2012. A good omen for the year ahead perhaps?
For me 2012 yielded perhaps the lowest number of this fine species for many years. Is this something anyone else observed. I'd be interested to know.

Kindest Regards
Kev

Hi,

I saw my first butterfly of the year yesterday (April 6th), in my village in mid Cambs - a single Brimstone. This was seen in the afternoon and was a very good moment! This morning I visited Monks Wood, and in over 3 hours walking the rides just managed to see 2 Brimstones and a single Peacock. This afternoon back in my village I saw a beautiful single Comma, this was the first butterfly that I've seen settled this year. By mid afternnon it had gone rather cloudy and cooler. Slow going, but at least the season has started. Lets hope for the temperature to soon get above 16 degrees with sunshine!

Cheers.