It was a great day, Buggy and Trevor.
I'm amazed I didn't bump into you, Buggy, as I covered much of the same ground as you during the early afternoon. I was lucky with the DGF photos, considering how energetic they were (which I am not!).
Go for those Blues, Wurzel! I'm a bit lucky with SSB sites not too far away and en route to other places... I'm looking forward to you catching up on your expeditions in the long dark evenings before Christmas - very welcome!
June 25th: Back to work today, but I engineered a break at lunchtime to pop into the nearby Country Park at Bedfont Lakes. Not a great deal was flying, mostly just a few Meadow Browns, Small Heaths and Large Skippers. However, there was an addition - along the path by the railway at least a dozen Small Skippers were now out.
As I made my way back to the entrance, a rather large white butterfly flopped down nearby. This turned out to be a fresh male Large White - possibly the largest one I've ever seen.
Home by five, so a local walk was in order too. Not a lot new here today: a couple of squabbling Red Admirals high over one of the paths, a couple of Speckled Woods in the shady bits of woodland, another (more reasonably proportioned) male Large White, a vibrant new
hutchinsoni Comma.
There were more Large Skippers around now, including the first females...
...and once again hundreds of Meadow Browns. One of these seen away from the meadow area may well have been a Ringlet, but I didn't get close enough. Small Heaths were frequent, and in all states of freshness - they are continuous here throughout the season.
I watched one or two nectaring, flicking their wings open tantalisingly as I've seen them do before. I saw several Small Tortoiseshells today, mostly very fresh, but one which was much more worn was hovering in and out of a nettle patch. Finally, as at Bedfont, I found a couple of Small Skippers - the first here this year.
Goodness - what a lot of orange butterflies!
Dave