Thanks for the welcome back, Wurzel :) I think I got very lucky with my timing at Five Rivers :lol: It's now back to winter weather again :roll: Thanks for your welcome back too, Chris, and I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. When we sold our French house we decided to take a break at our favourite Dor...

It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since I last posted in my personal diary! We've now sold our house in France and are back in the UK. Like everyone else we've had to endure the (seemingly) endless winter, which has been one of the wettest on record too. That was until this week when w...

Female Wall Brown seen on 19th April.

A 'le Tircus' from Normandie today..

Green-veined White.

First Orange-tip of the year here this afternoon, a male. It was settled on an Honesty flower and I went to get my wife so that she could see it too, which she did, but then it never settled again so no shots. Also a Holly Blue late on which didn't settle. Fantastic weather here today and it looks s...

Plus loads of male Brimstones

A good Large Tortoiseshell day today with at least four seen in our garden. Weather was a warm eighteen degrees. I managed to get shots of two I watched in aerial combat once they had landed. P1430505Resize.JPG P1430509Resize.JPG Also seen was this Comma and a very unexpected Speckled Wood, pretendi...

That's some haul, David, especially the 44 Brimstone :) Today here was a good day weatherwise too, a single Brimstone and two Large Tortoiseshells in the garden. I could only get a record shot of one of the LT and the other played hard to get :roll: Green-veined White seen a couple of days ago, v fr...

Our first non-hibernator of the year today, in this very fresh looking Green-veined White

Another Large Tortoiseshell today, clearly a different individual from the one seen yesterday. Only a quick record shot before it was away into the distance, I think that the wind was unsettling it.

Another sunny but breezy morning brought out these two hibernators in our garden today. P1430345Resize.JPG P1430362Resize.JPG First Comma of the year and the Large Tortoiseshell were a welcome sight. I was able to fetch Cathy so that she could enjoy the LT too :D I know what you mean about the weath...

First Brimstone of the year for us today. Nice warm sunny morning (for a change :roll: ) although it was very windy. The butterfly flew a couple of circuits around the field before diving into the grass to get out of the wind. It's now torrential rain again so hope he found somewhere to hide. P14303...

Another Red Admiral today, a different individual from yesterday and in very good condition too.

Plenty of Small Coppers among the Sooty Coppers in our garden in 2022. The pick of the bunch were these two blue badgers.

First Butterfly of the year here, a Red Admiral seen today. A lovely sunny day and 12 degrees after a very frosty start brought out this first one nectaring on heather along with half a dozen Buff-tailed bumble bees

Thanks, bugboy, that female was a stunner. I also remember Walls being very common when I was a lad. There were always loads along the Staines bypass when we cycled along the cycle track! Fortunately they seem to be fairly common here :) (Have a great Christmas and New Year). Thanks, Wurzel, She was...

It’s been a while since my last diary entry due to circumstances beyond my control. Hopefully things are now ‘on the up’, so, roll on Spring 2023. Thanks, Wurzel, I was very pleased to get the backlit Cloudie shot :) Also having Swallowtails and their early stages in our garden has been simply amazi...

My favourites are this Male Large Skipper seen in our garden meadow area on 1st June 2022.


and this amazingly late male seen nectaring on Phlox flowers outside our front door on 17th September 2022?

Large Tortoiseshell, seen in our garden in Normandy France, 19th March 2022. This butterfly was very obliging allowing me time to go indoors and get another camera to take some more shots.