Thanks Pauline. That's the largest number of eggs I have ever seen on one leaf too. It is turning into a strange year in many respects and will no doubt lead to a few 'out of the ordinary' behaviours.
Thanks David. It definitely still feels like we are somewhere around mid May here.
Tuesday 1st June.
Flaming June they used to call it, well lets hope it is better than sodding May. It has certainly started off well with another warm and sunny day with the temperature rapidly rising to the low twenties by midday.
This morning, we went to our daughters and after staying long enough to be sociable and having a coffee, I left Jane there and went round to my local spot at Bickenhill to have a look. This was my first visit there this year, in fact with the grotty weather we have had so far this year, I am well behind with visiting my local sites.
I wandered around my usual circuit and found it to be fairly quiet with regard to butterflies. Half a dozen or so Orange-tips were seen, at least four males in hyper mode in the warm sun and a couple of females that would stop occasionally on some cuckoo flower, either to lay eggs or take nectar.
I checked a few plants for eggs and found a few plus a couple of first instar larvae.
![Bickenhill 01.06.2021 016 resize.JPG (552.73 KiB) Viewed 820 times Orange-tip female - Bickenhill 01.06.2021](./files/thumb_10101_9fe24df754d4a3c7e3c2af5b2f97c74e)
- Orange-tip female - Bickenhill 01.06.2021
![Bickenhill 01.06.2021 022 resize.JPG (488.6 KiB) Viewed 820 times Orange-tip larva (first instar) - Bickenhill 01.06.2021](./files/thumb_10101_450f7a7f4a97dc742e8e5e8d772ae28f)
- Orange-tip larva (first instar) - Bickenhill 01.06.2021
The only other butterflies seen were a couple each of Green-veined Whites and Holly Blues, again in full on active patrolling mode.
A couple each of Burnet Companion and Mother Shipton Moths were also seen but with these also being highly active and with the bright sun giving a harsh light making photos a challenge, I didn’t bother trying to follow them.
I circled back to my car and then carried on to my other local spot at Castle Hills. My circuit here produced a few more butterflies including more Orange-tips and Green-veined Whites, a couple of Peacocks, and singles of Small Tortoiseshell and Holly blue, but overall numbers are still on the low side around here.
A single male Common Blue was my first one locally this year.
![Castle Hills 01.06.2021 005 resize.JPG (586.04 KiB) Viewed 820 times Common Blue - Castle Hills 01.06.2021](./files/thumb_10101_f34263a3f15e76f2f02a6de19840daa0)
- Common Blue - Castle Hills 01.06.2021
I also spotted my first Small Heath of the year, one of three seen here today.
![Castle Hills 01.06.2021 023 resize.JPG (494.13 KiB) Viewed 820 times Small Heath - Castle Hills 01.06.2021](./files/thumb_10101_fdde2f5413ec64854d45f3f82ea91fd7)
- Small Heath - Castle Hills 01.06.2021
This site often produces a few Small Coppers and Brown Argus although only ever in small numbers in the first brood and none seen today.
A couple of the meadows here were looking nice with large expanses of buttercups putting on a good display.
![Castle Hills 01.06.2021 008 resize.JPG (899.35 KiB) Viewed 820 times Buttercups - Castle Hills 01.06.2021](./files/thumb_10101_5c9959f1ef89b31e3c5b8e601394a7df)
- Buttercups - Castle Hills 01.06.2021
It was good to reacquaint myself with a couple of local sites but dare I say I could have done with a little less heat.
Back home in the garden later in the afternoon, the female Brimstone from yesterday put in another appearance. By now a few fluffy summer clouds had bubbled up and occasionally covered the sun briefly, thereby sending her to ground where I grabbed a few more photos.
![Coverdale 01.06.2021 010 resize.JPG (523.01 KiB) Viewed 820 times Brimstone female - Coverdale 01.06.2021](./files/thumb_10101_4053498c53ebca1a5280c1cb0e67656a)
- Brimstone female - Coverdale 01.06.2021
She revisited the Alder Buckthorns a few times and laid some more eggs but I didn’t bother trying to take any more photos and let her get on with it undisturbed. Later, I did another count and got up to 56 eggs that I could see. No doubt there are a few more hidden away where I can’t get to.
Despite a couple of days of warm sunny weather, I very much get the impression we are still playing catch up here with things a good couple of weeks behind where they have been in the past few years.
In the past, when we have a good spring, it is often followed by a poor summer and a good summer often follows a poor spring. It will be interesting to see what the rest of June brings.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil.