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Yesterday in Houghton Regis I was up and running with a Peacock. Today in Totternhoe, I had my first couple of Brimstone sightings.

After some weak sunshine on both Saturday and Sunday, I wondered if the accompanying mild temperatures might have woken anything up. There was a lot of rain overnight, but today (24th) the clouds gave way to warm sunshine, and a muddy walk round my local patch rewarded me with no fewer than five butterflies of three species.

First to appear were three Brimstones - two of them flying together in and out of an ivy patch where I presume they had spent the winter, and the third a few hundred metres further along the path already patrolling for females. One of them stopped briefly.In a sheltered spot by the underpass beneath the A3113 T4 link road I then spotted a Red Admiral, looking commendably fresh and whole.Finally, I disturbed a Peacock in exactly the same place in which I had seen one at the end of January, with the same result - no photo.

I'd say the season was properly underway here!

Dave

Great to read of some butterfly sightings from folk. I am so excited by the season that lies ahead. It feels really close now. I have had quite a few days of sunshine recently in South Derbyshire that would definitely have produced a few butterfly appearances - sadly not where I was looking it seems. The next 7 to 10 days has lots of sunshine forecast so I am optimistic that I will see something.

Yes, early March is looking unusually good.

Pretty sure that by the end of the first week most people will have broken their UK duck for '25.

By the skin of my teeth I grabbed myself a February butterfly, a Comma at work over lunch. Sadly I neglected to bring my camera to work and it was far to frisky to get close with my phone so no evidence, but it did happen

As per David M's prediction, I saw my first butterfly of '25 today - a glorious male Brimstone in the sunshine here in suburban northeast London.

Despite a sharp frost overnight (minus two at daybreak this morning), on a somewhat warmer lunchtime walk around my local patch I found myself following a Brimstone over the soggy ground.It settled uncomfortably on the chilly grass as the sun went in......so I rescued it and placed on a bramble where it quickly made its way under a leaf to roost. Dave

First butterfly of the year here yesterday - a Peacock which looked like it had had a hard winter.

My first butterfly of the year was a red admiral at Kew Gardens on February 28.