www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

On Sunday, 28th Match I saw my first butterfly of the year. I think that it was a Large White, but as I was concentrating on my putt I didn't see it properly before it disappeared. However, today I saw two Small Tortoiseshells. The first was sampling the Celandines in a small field off the Strawberry Line, and the second flew over my path a few minutes later.

7th April 2010.

Yesterday two of the Small Tortoiseshells that have been hibernating in our garage decided to take to their wings and flew in the bright sunshine. Temperature - 15% Cent. It's a little colder today, but a Brimstone has just flown into the garden. It seems to be really a bright yellow, but perhaps it's just that I haven't seen one since last autumn

9th April 2010.

Today the sunshine encouraged another 4 Small Tortoiseshells to wake up and fly . We also had another Yellow Brimstone visit the garden.

13th April 2010.

Played golf today and saw 4 Small Tortoisehells on the course. I don't know why but they seem to be quite prolific at the moment - perhaps they're all coming out of hibernation at the same time.

20th April 2010.

After a few days away in South Wales I played golf again today and was pleased to see several Peacocks flying and a few Large Whites as well. There were also two Orange-tips about 50 yards away from where I saw some last year at about the same time. Apart from that sighting I saw no others for the rest of the summer. I'll keep my fingers crossed that I see some more this year when I have my camera ready.

21st April 2010.

Went to lunch at Cadbury House Hotel today. In the grounds I saw an unidentifiable brown (flying across my path and over a hedge) and a Yellow Brimstone. While driving home I saw another Brimstone on the roadside verge - they seem to be quite prolific at the moment.

26th April 2010.

At the moment we don't have many flowers in the garden to attract butterflies, but we were visited by a Yellow Brimstone again today. Last summer I didn't see a Brimstone until right at the end of the season - this year three have visited us in as many weeks (or perhaps the same one three times!)

27th April 2010.

Playing golf again today I saw 2 more Orange-tips, 3 Peacocks and a Speckled Wood.

1st May 2010.

The golf course is very productive this year. Today I saw a Large White and another Peacock. I also saw a Tortoiseshell which settled briefly in the reeds. It was larger than the usual and appeared not to have any blue spots along the edge of the forewing so it may have been a Large Tortoiseshell - however without a photo and a handy reference book I couldn't be sure.

5th May 2010.

A Speckled Wood visited the garden this morning - a rare visitor to our garden, although quite common in the local hedgerows.

24 March 2011

First sighting (in the UK). Two Small Tortoiseshells flew into the garden this afternoon. Temperature was about 18°C.

6 April 2011

With the warmer weather today, I saw three butterflies in the garden - a Yellow Brimstone, a Peacock, and a Tortoiseshell. Our garden doesn't seem to attract many butterflies which is probably due to the many fields and hedgerows that surround us.

12 April 2011

On the local golf course today. Conditions windy and not very sunny, but I did see Orange-tips and a Green-veined White.