The Dee and Thereabouts

Tag: butterflies

By Flint Castle

(Sunday 16^th August, 2026)

This morning, we were at the Dee Estuary over by Flint Castle, arriving just after low tide. In Flintshire this week, the mercury reached the mid-thirties so today’s low temperature of just 16°C made a nice change, especially with the barely perceptible wind from the north-west.

Flint Castle

    My knowledge of Flint Castle is very limited, which is a bit embarrassing considering that I live only a few miles away. However, I do know it’s where King Richard II surrendered to Henry Bolingbroke, who would later become King Henry IV. (Oddly, I first learnt about this when studying William Shakespeare’s Richard II in school, which was er…one or two years ago now!)

    Visibility was fair but the poor light seemed to project an atmospheric gloominess onto the castle and its surroundings. The castle does offer a wonderfully scenic backdrop to the estuary, though you’ll also find more modern edifices in the vicinity – the Flintshire Bridge which spans the Dee and the four distinctive chimneys of Connah’s Quay Power Station, for example. So, a marked combination of the old and the new!

The Flintshire Bridge and the four chimneys of Connah’s Quay Power Station

    There was a flock of Swallows (Hirundo rustica) flying low along a water channel on the marsh. (Though it’s difficult to pinpoint these channels accurately from the ground, you can follow their rising and falling contours along the marsh – possibly you’d have a much clearer view up on the ramparts of the castle, though I’m only guessing).The Swallows were evidently feeding on the wing and every now and then they would land on the ground to re-energise before taking to the air once again. They were quite far away from us – and very fast – so there’s not much detail in the photograph, but it was great to watch them.

The low-flying Swallows (top) went unnoticed by this chap (bottom)

    While we were watching this display, a Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) alighted on a nearby Hawthorn bush. The orange breast, white collar and black head on the bird identified it as male. He stayed there for a moment or two before exploring the marshland a bit further out.

Stonechat

    Further inland from the estuary, we watched a Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) as it scoured the short grass for spiders and insects, its tail bobbing up and down characteristically. As its name implies, the Pied wagtail’s markings are black, white and grey and it really is quite a lovely bird. This one was later joined by its mate.

Pied wagtail

    As we made our way back through the castle grounds, a Speckled wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) landed on a leaf in front of us and paused to take a breather. It opened its wings to allow us a decent view, although I suppose it was really trying to warm up in the weak sunlight! Speckled woods have lovely cream-coloured spots which contrast with their otherwise dark brown colour. You can see the ‘eyes’ on the wings in the photograph – one on each forewing and three on each hindwing. These butterflies like damp areas and you’ll often see them in woods – they’re particularly noticeable along dappled areas where the sun peeps through, claiming shafts of sunlight as their ‘territory’.

Speckled wood

The important stuff

On the return journey, we called in at the café in Daleside Garden Centre, Hawarden, for a slice of Bakewell (Col) and Coffee and Walnut cake (Stu) with our cappuccinos. Marvellous!

21.08.2026
Butterfly Highway

(Monday 6^th July – Friday 10^th July)

The UK once again recorded very high temperatures during this latest heatwave although it’s been even warmer in the rest of Europe. With Chief Photographer Stu currently away on holiday, this week’s blog is just a record of the butterflies and one or two other insects that have visited the garden.

Above: Peacock butterflies

    I’ve spent a lot of time venturing no further than the garden in this hot weather and this has turned out to be a good thing as I managed to photograph quite a variety of butterflies during the course of the week. In fact, there were a further two species of butterfly that appeared but which I was unable to get a decent photograph of – a Gatekeeper and several Green-veined Whites. But it certainly is encouraging to see such a diverse range.

Top and middle: Red admiral with wings open; bottom: Red admiral showing underwing

    Undoubtedly the Buddleia bush (also known as the Butterfly bush for good reason) at the bottom of the garden has been helpful in attracting the various butterflies. The Red admirals and Peacocks appear to be the biggest fans of the flowers, although Small tortoiseshells, Small whites and Green-veined whites have also been drawn to the bush, though in lesser numbers. The flowers have a lovely scent which seems more pronounced as the evening draws in so presumably the plant attracts night-time pollinators too.

Top: Small white; middle: Large white (underwing); bottom: Small tortoiseshell

    The other benefit of the Buddleia is that the butterflies tend to dawdle on the flowers and spread their wings, so can be motionless for at least a few moments which was ideal for getting the odd photograph!

    Not all butterfly species are drawn to Buddleias though: when the Commas (there are two of them) are not whizzing maniacally up and down the garden, they usually prefer to rest on the Hazel leaves – as do the Large whites. But the butterflies that I see more than any others here are the Holly blues, although they rarely stay in one place for very long.

Top: Comma; bottom: Holly blue

    Besides the butterflies, both Buff-tailed and White-tailed Bumblebees are regular visitors: I’d just been snapping away and still had the camera at hand when I caught sight of an insect that I don’t ever recall seeing before, though I believe they are increasingly common in the UK. This is the Hornet hoverfly, sometimes referred to as the Hornet mimic hoverfly. As its name might suggest, it is similar in size and appearance to the European hornet and imitates its buzzing flight, chiefly to deter predators from approaching it when it visits flowers. Unlike the four-winged European hornet, however, the hoverfly– like all true flies – only has two wings. It also lacks a sting.

Top: White-tailed Bumblebee; middle and bottom: (Mimic) Hornet hoverfly (apologies for the blurred picture)

The important stuff

From the garden I went all the way to Café Chez Col where I had a lovely cup of tea, which tasted almost as if I’d made it myself, and an Almond slice made by some bloke who makes “exceedingly good cakes”. Very nice!

13.07.2026
Egrets and Ditches

(Sunday 28^th June, 2026)

We were at Mostyn this morning where the 21°C temperature offered a pleasant change from the recent heatwave that we endured in the UK earlier this week. The breeze (WSW) was barely noticeable as we made our way from the path behind Abakhan and headed towards the shore at Mostyn.

    Several Housemartins flew over the cornfield to our left, gathering insects on the wing. Bare only a matter of weeks ago, this field now has an impressive crop of corn flourishing in it.

    Encouragingly, we saw an abundance of butterflies during the walk. Primarily, these were Small whites and Green-veined whites, although there were other species making an occasional appearance such as Small tortoiseshells and Gatekeepers. We weren’t sure if the large number was a consequence of the recent hot weather or if this just happens to be a particularly good place for butterflies. Certainly the area does appear to be flourishing at the moment with trees, hedges and undergrowth all looking verdantly leafy, although some rain might be welcome.

Top: Small tortoiseshell; middle: Gatekeeper (underwing); bottom: Small white butterfly

    There were several Goldfinches merrily chirruping away as they stop-started along the treetops. One of them strayed from the rabble and tooted out a tune from its perch on a telephone wire.

Goldfinch

    A male Blackbird was perched on a post with something in its beak, though we couldn’t quite make out what this was (we were a bit confused by the long branch but this is actually behind the bird). The bird’s feathers looked a little bit bedraggled and, as it’s a little bit too early for the annual moult, I think this can be put down to two things. Adult Blackbirds that are rearing young chicks can have a ragged or even bald appearance as they can be susceptible to parasites that might have infested their nests. Also their feathers are probably not being preened as often as they perhaps ought to be either: parent birds can easily neglect to carry out their regular self-care due to the need to find and deliver food for their offspring.

Male Blackbird looking a bit bedraggled

    A little further along from the Blackbird, we saw a Greenfinch contentedly sitting low on a branch, seemingly just letting the world go by. This one is male as you can see from the olive green feathers on his back – the females and juveniles tend to be much more muted in colour overall.

Male Greenfinch

    As we came to the end of the path, we scanned the irrigation ditch which lies parallel to the estuary shore. We were looking for the Kingfisher that we’d seen the last time we were here, a month ago but we didn’t manage to see it this time.

    What we did see, though, were two Little egrets. Each bird was in a different stretch of the water and each of them seemed to be staying within its own particular territory, although I suspect that they were only adapting temporarily while they waited for the tide of the nearby Dee Estuary to recede once again, at which point they would migrate to the mud and sand to feast on what the water uncovered.

Little egret – note the two crest plumes and the chest feathers of the breeding plumage. You can also see the egret’s yellow feet

    Each of the Little egrets had long plumes at the back of their heads and on their chests. These are typically seen during the breeding season but, as both males and females grow breeding plumages, it’s very difficult to tell the sexes apart. The male is slightly larger in size but this is only a useful indicator if the two sexes are standing next to each other. Though we usually get a good look at the black bills and black legs of Little egrets, we don’t ordinarily get a decent view of their feet, as they’re usually submerged in water or otherwise difficult to see. However, this time we could clearly see their yellow feet which make a distinct contrast to their black legs.

We looked along the shore but, probably because the tide was high and almost reaching the boulder breakers, there were no sea birds to be seen at all today. Apart from one angler who was putting away his fishing gear as we were returning from the shore, we saw nobody else on the entire walk. A lovely spot.

An old friend

The important stuff

We retraced our footsteps and went to the Café at Abakhan for a cappuccino each, which were accompanied by a Raspberry Bakewell slice (Col) and a Cranberry and white chocolate slice (Stu). Naturally, we were both very pleased to have achieved one of our ‘five a day’ healthy fruit portions!

03.07.2026
A Morning at Mostyn

(Sunday 24^th May, 2026)

We were down at Mostyn this morning, looking over towards the Wirral Peninsula from the Flintshire side of the Dee Estuary. Bright and sunny, the temperature was still pleasantly comfortable at 23°C and the wind (SSW) barely noticeable. Although the temperature climbed during the afternoon, it was still much lower than those expected over the next few days. [Note: the UK May Bank Holiday heat record was broken at Kew Gardens in London the following day, where the temperature reached 34.8°C. It was exceptionally warm throughout most of the UK and locally temperature of 32.2°C was recorded at Hawarden Airport, just twenty miles away. Such temperatures would have been a bit too much for us pair of old duffers, we reckon].

    We parked up near Abakhan Stores and followed the narrow path towards the rear of the buildings. Several Goldfinches darting from tree to tree either side of the us as we progressed: the collective noun for Goldfinches is a charm, the word deriving from the Old English word c’irm which describes the chattering sound they make. Apparently, the birds are not particularly charming in the modern sense, but we love them all the same![1]

Dog roses

    Either side of this path are fields with irrigation ditches running along the bottom. And where there’s water, of course, there are insects, which in turn attract the birds. Above the field to our left, two House martins displayed their aerial acrobatics as they fed on the wing, one moment carving wide graceful arcs through the sky, the next moment adeptly feinting left and right at seemingly impossible angles to catch their prey unawares. Wonderful to watch!

TSS Duke of Lancaster

    At the bottom of the path lies the TSS Duke of Lancaster which is fenced off and has lain beached down here since 1979. The ship was originally built in the mid-1950s for British Railways which, at the time, operated ferry services as well as trains. The TSS Duke of Lancaster primarily served passengers travelling between Heysham, in Lancashire, and Belfast. You can find more detailed information about the ship’s history on Wikipedia.[2]

    Looking out over the Dee Estuary, we saw a large flock of Oystercatchers making the most of low tide and using their distinctive orange beaks to forage in the mudflats nearby.

Oystercatchers

Occasionally, a group of them would take to the air at some unseen signal and fly out to a sandspit further out into the wide expanse of the estuary, returning in similar fashion later. (At its mouth, the Welsh and the English sides of the Dee Estuary are about five miles apart).

Looking towards Hilbre Island near the Wirral side of the Dee Estuary

A Grey heron flew in and began hunting for food in the shallows. It stood motionless for minutes on end before spearing its unfortunate prey with a lightning strike of its beak.

Above: A reflective Grey heron; and, below: a Herring gull

    As we set off back along the path on our return journey, Stu pointed towards the irrigation ditch and said: “Kingfisher!” I turned round and, but I only saw the distinctive electric-blue and turquoise of its back as it flew away from us along the ditch. We stayed for a while, scanning the area with our binoculars and, eventually, managed to locate it quite some distance away in a tree overhanging the water. We were just able to pick out the turquoise / blue of its feathers from the surrounding tree foliage before it moved off again. No photographs but great to see and we now have a reasonable idea of its territory.

    We were accompanied by our Goldfinch friends on the way back along the path and we clocked a rabbit at the edge of the field on the opposite side to the ditch, where there is a small thicket bordering the field. Whether it sensed danger or not, the rabbit decided to retreat back undercover.

Peacock butterfly taking the sun

The important stuff

    Well, after all this excitement, we were in dire need of refreshment. So we sauntered off to the cool and spacious Café at Abakhan where we partook of a cappuccino each and a Caramel Slice (Col) and Coffee and Walnut cake (Stu).

[1] From Living with Birds https://www.livingwithbirds.com/tweetapedia/21-facts-on-goldfinch

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSS_Duke_of_Lancaster

31.05.2026
Hungry Heron

(Sunday 31^st August, 2025)

    Over to Roydon Park on the Wirral Peninsula this morning. We took a little excursion into the woods and sat on a bench underneath a beech tree, just looking and listening. Occasionally runners and walkers passed by, the walkers often with dogs accompanying them, the dogs bounding excitedly at the thousand and one aromas that assaulted their senses. Apart from the raucous rattling of one unseen Magpie in a nearby tree, however, it was generally quiet, although I would say soothingly so. One of the many benefits of getting out and about in nature is that it only takes a few moments before your anxieties begin to wash away and you adapt to the rhythm of your natural surroundings.

    Grey heron with its breakfast

Eventually, we exited from the woods and detoured to Roodee Mere, the lake near the miniature railway. A Grey heron was standing motionless on a raised platform in the mere, though we could see that its eyes were closely scouring the water for its breakfast. Several minutes went by when it suddenly lunged into the water and retrieved a fish. Stu managed to photograph the heron with the unfortunate fish in its beak.

The Grey heron trying a different vantage point

We watched a little longer, and we were amazed to see this persistent bird transfer itself to a low branch of an oak tree that was overhanging the water, then conceal itself in the foliage. As it flew to this new vantage point, it really did bring to mind a Pterodactyl. Mind you, I’ve never actually seen a Pterodactyl – I haven’t been around quite that long – but I’m sure you know what I mean.

   Moorhen chick following its mother

There were quite a few Mallards swimming on the water, and Moorhens too: we watched one chick trailing its mother as she determinedly led it away from the heron. (Grey herons will take Moorhen chicks if the opportunity is there, so the mother was right to be cautious). The far side of the mere was bedecked with lilies and other floating vegetation, and we watched in amused fascination as another family of Moorhens, chicks and parents, walked from one lily pad to another with their distinctive high-stepping gait.

    Moorhen chick looking for a comb

Despite the odd gust of wind, it was a relatively warm 19°C and we saw several butterflies flying about at the mere’s perimeter, including Meadow browns, Small whites, and Speckled woods.

The important stuff

Retiring to The Courtyard Café for our well-earned edibles, we very nearly came to blows as there was only one Bakewell Slice left! Fortunately, common sense prevailed and so we sat down and enjoyed Lemon Drizzle cake (Stu) and the aforementioned Bakewell (Col). Marvellous!

04.09.2025
Morning Dippers

(Sunday 24^th August, 2025)

Over to Loggerheads Country Park this still, warm morning (21°C), where we saw a pair of Dippers. As I’ve stated previously, the River Alyn disappears from the surface a short way downstream from the picnic area, but continues to flow underground.[1] Upstream, however, the water still flows sufficiently enough to attract the White-throated dippers, more commonly referred to as just Dippers. These plump, short-tailed birds are very distinctive: mature Dippers have a black back, dark brown wings and tail, and chestnut head and belly, with a completely contrasting white throat and bib. It’s very difficult to tell the sexes apart, although we suspect that these two were a pair, each patrolling overlapping stretches of the river.

Watching them perform their up-and-down bobbing on rocks surrounded by water was fascinating: frankly, it was comical! One of the Dippers submerged itself in the water, presumably seeking food, although I missed this as I was watching its mate further downstream.

Wandering further down the Leete path, we saw several piled logs, which were presumably laid down deliberately to attract insects. A Wren seemed to be making the most of the grubs and larvae, skipping quickly along the rotting branches and in the undergrowth.

Male and female Wrens look very similar, so we’re not sure which sex this was, but what a lovely bird. The Wren is rotund (not unlike the Dipper) and brown, but with very distinctive markings: note the brown and white barring on the wings and the short tail, which is often held erect. At one point, a Robin appeared nearby, probably guarding its territory from the Wren’s incursion, though I’m pleased to say that there was no squabbling!

We sat at the benches which are a little further along the path, where we saw several Small white butterflies collecting nectar from the numerous Great willowherb flowers in the woods. As we returned to the picnic area, through the tree canopy we saw a Common buzzard floating high above the cliffs – we’d heard its high-pitched mewling before we saw it. At the wild garden, a (female) Green-veined white butterfly posed for the camera – the females usually have two spots on their cream-coloured forewings.

The important stuff

After the morning’s exhaustions, we were in dire need of nourishment so, luckily for us, the café – Caffi Florence – was handily situated nearby. Customary cappuccinos were accompanied by a Strawberry and Almond slice (Col), and Coffee and Walnut cake (Stu). Suitably fortified, we were heading back to the car when we noticed a pair of House martins darting in and out from under the roof of the end building. We looked up and saw two well-constructed nests, although only one appeared to be in use. Stu pointed his camera lens upwards and got a couple of shots of the chicks that the parent birds were delivering food to.

[1] See The River Vanishes, Sunday 27^th July

26.08.2025
Birds, Butterflies and Belugas

(Thursday 21^st August, 2025)

    Over to the RSPB wetlands at Burton on the Wirral peninsula today with my mother, my youngest brother, Michael, and his eldest daughter, Sophie. None of them had visited here before. The sun came out from time to time, but it was otherwise overcast. When we arrived, we were told that a Bittern had been seen at the reedbed: it showed itself twice during the time that we were there, but not in our presence I’m afraid!

    A Greenfinch and a Great tit were taking it in turns to visit the feeder, just beyond the visitor centre. While absorbed in this sight, we noticed movement in the undergrowth, and after a few moments we saw several rats shuffling along stealthily: they looked very well-fed and were obviously regular visitors to the ground beneath the feeder, capitalising on all that the birds habitually spilled.

    Above: Mallard on tree trunk (Photo: Sophie)

We meandered around the mere, noting a Mallard squatting on the upper part of a tree-trunk that was half-in, half-out of the water, and a pair of Moorhens that were investigating the edge of the shore for food. While we were looking over at some Canada geese that were swimming at the northern part of the mere, there was a commotion in the water nearby: a Cormorant surfaced, took a few breaths, and then dived in search of fish again. A chance now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t sighting which we were all happy to have witnessed.

Left: Comma – note the distinct white mark that gives the butterfly its name, and Right: Speckled wood (Photos: Sophie)

There were plenty of butterflies today, including Small whites, Green-veined whites, and lots and lots of Speckled woods. In fact, as my niece, Sophie, was focussing her camera-phone on one Speckled wood that was stretching out its wings atop a leaf, a pair of them were spinning around each other as they passed. Sophie also managed to photograph a Comma, its wings upright, and another butterfly which we suspect is a Dark-green fritillary, though we can’t be sure. This is guesswork really, as camera-phones are limited in the photographic detail that they capture, so the resultant picture isn’t exactly pristine. However, given the area that we were in – ancient oaks predominantly – and the fact that the commonest fritillary in the United Kingdom is the Dark-green, we’ll plump for that. (Please let us know if you have other thoughts).

    Above: Dark green fritillary? (Photo: Sophie)

Regular readers will remember that on Sunday just gone (17^th August), we reported lots of small flocks of Canada geese orbiting the marshes nearby. Judging by the amount of Canada geese at the wetlands today, they had all ended up here! They were by far the most numerous bird species to be seen from the main Reception area and also from the Bunker hide, and now looking from the Marsh Covert hide, it seemed that all we could see was Canada geese. However, as if to dispel this idea, Sophie suddenly drew our attention to a Common buzzard that she’d spotted circling to the south, and which rapidly rose in the air on the thermals. We all watched it through the windows, noting its large size even at a distance.

    A number of orange-red dragonflies shadowed us along the paths between the Marsh Covert and Border hides and seemed, at times, to be leading us onwards. These are Common darters, and we even saw one pair mating while they were in flight. A Marsh harrier crossed close overhead and, while we didn’t manage to photograph it, we did have a clear view of its underwing, which was the distinctive grey, fringed with black outer feathers, of the male.

    From the Border hide we could see lots of Greylag geese, Lapwings, and Black-tailed godwits, and we also observed a couple of Redshanks on the far bank and some Teal on the isle nearby, just visible amongst another group of Greylags. On the return journey, just as we emerged from the small copse, a Kestrel flew across our path.

   Above: Common reed

Sophie and I detoured to the reedbed to see if the Bittern was there, but sadly not. As I mentioned at the very beginning of this article, the Bittern was only eluding us – it seems that everybody else saw it that day! A lucky few also saw a Kingfisher and a Hobby. Maybe another time, but I do know that Michael, Sophie and my mother were thrilled to have seen so much during their visit. As we emerged from the reedbed viewing spot, my mother, who was waiting with Michael, said: ‘Did you see the big bird, then?’ I thought we’d missed a Heron or an Egret or another large bird, but she meant the Airbus Beluga which had just flown past. Very amusing!

The important stuff

All four of us had cappuccinos, accompanied by Blueberry muffins (Sophie, Michael, and my mother) and a very tasty vegetarian pastie (Col). Awesome!

22.08.2025
A hot day at Burton Mere

(Sunday 13^th July, 2025)

    I went across to Burton Mere Wetlands today. It was a hot 28°C but slightly cooler than yesterday’s 32°C. Naturally, there were lots of birds at the Wetlands including Canada geese, Greylag geese, Mallards, Moorhens, Shovellers, Shelducks, Black-headed gulls and Avocets. There were also a few Black-tailed godwits and lots of Knots at the Scrape, and both species were in their stunning brick-red summer attire; and from the Border hide I saw what looked like several hundred Lapwings.

    I’m certain I missed many more bird species: I have to admit that my attention was more focussed on the number and variety of butterflies on display. Because the butterfly number was so low in the UK last year, it’s been very comforting to see how much more numerous they are this year. Today at the wetlands there were Small whites, Large whites, Red admirals, Speckled woods, Small tortoiseshells, Commas, and Meadow browns.

    All of these moths and butterflies – and various bees, hoverflies and other insects – are drawn to the various plants of the marshland. The Meadowsweet is a lovely, creamy colour and smells wonderful (well, it’s there in its name of course); and Tufted vetch is particularly abundant at present. There is clover – both red, and white – and Red campion as well as many, many more wildflowers and plants that play their part in attracting these pollinators. In fact, visitors (adults and children) are encouraged to look and see what’s around them.

    I noticed several large, light-brown mushrooms at the base of a dead tree just off one of the paths. For all that I’m a fun guy, I know very little about fungi (oh dear…!) so I had to look these up later. The mushrooms are known as ‘Dryad’s saddle’ which is a name that relates to supernatural beings from Ancient Greek mythology. I imagined these dryads (tree-nymphs) resting while taking a break from their usual activities, which are essentially dedicated to protecting the tree or trees in their charge. As you can see, the mushrooms grow one above another almost in ladder form, and I imagined the tree-nymphs had scampered up them to conceal themselves at my approach. It obviously worked because I didn’t see any at all that day!

    The visitor’s centre has a couple of whiteboards on which the current day’s sightings and the previous day’s sightings are listed. This is not just confined to birds, but also butterflies, moths, and plants and wildflowers. I think this is a great idea: inevitably, you miss things, so it’s good to check the boards. Not so much to see what you’ve missed, but more to give you an idea of the variety of flora and fauna that’s around you, just waiting for you to discover on your next visit. I’d seen a couple of Common blue damselflies and one Brown hawker dragonfly as I headed back from the Border hide, but only back at the visitor centre did I learn that the Five-spot burnet moth inhabited the area. And I only learnt this because somebody listed it on the whiteboard. Now I know, of course, you can guarantee that I’ll never see one here!

The important stuff

I went to the café and had a lovely cup of tea and a slice of Sour Cherry and Pistachio cake, which left me fully restored after the morning’s exertions in the sun. Lovely!

28.07.2025
Seven spots followed by a Comma

(Thursday 10^th July, 2025)

    In the garden for a brief break from work (meetings, meetings…) and it was incredible what I saw in ten minutes: I must have timed it right. First was a Holly blue: these small butterflies usually fly at head height, but this one flew over twice that height again. As I followed its haphazard trajectory, I noticed a red and black ladybird apparently munching away on an ivy leaf. Drawing closer, I saw it was a Seven-spot ladybird.



I watched a Bumblebee (you can just see its bottom) and a much smaller bee extracting nectar from my Hosta plants which have recently bloomed a lovely pale purple. While I was doing so, something caught my vision and I turned to the hedge again. It was a Red admiral which very obligingly alighted on a leaf and spread out its wings to display its lovely markings.

    Two white butterflies then attracted my attention as they flew down the garden, spinning round each other. I thought they might be Large whites but I wasn’t sure, so I picked up my binoculars to get a closer look. Well, it’s difficult enough to follow birds in flight – particularly ‘flitters’ such as Swallows, Martins and Swifts – but trying to keep up with butterflies is a lot harder. Never mind this pair of butterflies (Large whites I can confirm), it was my head that was spinning. However, as I gave up chasing them, I spotted another Red admiral which was chilling out on the Buddleia at the far end of the garden.

    Once again, I reacted to movement and was amazed to see a Comma which landed on a bramble leaf nearby. This was only the second Comma I’ve ever seen, so I was pretty chuffed. On the way back in to the ‘office’, I saw another Holly blue flying high again, unless it was the same one as before. My short but well-earned break turned out to be a butterfly marvel!

24.07.2025
Peacocks and Painted Ladies

(Wednesday 9^th July, 2025)

    It was still sunny here this evening so I went outside into the back yard to enjoy the warmth for a few moments. A Peacock butterfly evidently had the same desire, opening its wings as soon as it landed on the wall. When I say ‘on’ I mean it was on the surface of the wall rather than on the coping stones at the top, which you might expect. The Peacock was just hanging there vertically!

The wall is an old, rather wonky wall that reaches from the back of the house as far as the gate to the garden. It’s a west-facing wall and catches the sun (when it’s sunny) in the afternoons and evenings. I have several plants along it for that reason. Anyway, I managed to take a photograph, although it was with my phone’s camera, and not the best picture you will ever see.

    Only moments later, a Painted lady landed, but this time on the ground. I suppose it didn’t want to compete with the Peacock’s earlier acrobatics, but the Painted lady also spread out its wings obligingly for me. I was a bit slow off the mark this time however, so didn’t manage a photo. Mind you, that may be no bad thing, judging by the standard of the Peacock photograph!

    I was thrilled to see two different species of butterflies displaying their wings in quick succession, especially as they both just appeared in the back yard. It just shows you that sometimes you really don’t have to go far to see nature’s wonders.

19.07.2025