After being tied up during the glorious weather over the weekend...with commitments ranging from Mothers Day to Wembley to Meadowhall...the warmth and sunshine co-operated into Tuesday (April Fools Day) enabling me to get an hour or so's butterfly hunting in over lunch and between appointments...
One of the nice things about my new-found interest in Butterflies is that it has introduced me to lots of tiny little local nature reserves that, in the past I would probably have zoomed past on my way to far-flung Islands and Headlands...I've already visited Rainworth Heath, Peter Fiddler LNR and Dukes Wood - todays lunch hour saw me visiting Carr Vale LNR a lovely wetland site belonging to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on what was previously old colliery spoil heaps, subsidence flashes and disused railway lines. I believe it has clocked up an impressive site list of butterflies too including some someone dubious releases in past years!
I was lucky enough to encounter good numbers of Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks in flight and feeding on Dandelions in the damp grassy meadow area's and a couple of male Brimstones prospecting along the line of Hawthorn and Elder adjacent to the River Doe Lee - including one that was vigorously chased off by an aggressive Small Tort!
The scrubby shaded area's didn't produce to many butterflies - but I was gratified by sightings of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer and the insistent singing of many ChiffChaff which really is a sign spring has arrived with a vengeance!
Next stop was back over the border in Nottinghamshire at Whitwell Wood LNR - on getting out the car I hadn't even got as far as the wood entrance when a Brimstone whizzed past me following the line of the busy main road - braving the traffic I followed it down the verge...before watching it briefly tussle with another male Brimstone...one disappearing over the brambles...the other crossing the road and commencing a circuit which eventually brought it back to me...despite its regular patrol it never settled...but my eye was drawn to a paler specimen which revealed itself as a Female - while this did perch briefly on the bramble I wasn't able to capture a record shot...
Inside the wood itself I followeed the broad paths, paying attention to the sunlit intersections and cleared areas - again there were good numbers of Small Torts and Peacocks active - and smaller more delicate russet coloured vanessids which could only be Comma. I've not seen enough of them in my brief career as a butterfly watcher to be bored yet...they are a lovely delicate intricately shaped butterfly and a clear favourite of mine! When they weren't being bullied by the more pugnacious Tortoiseshells I was able to capture pictures of them camouflaged perfectly amongst the leaf litter - or sunning themselves on fallen wood.
Plenty of Brimstones were obviously prospecting for mates - flying purposefully among the trees...seen distantly in flight...though they occasionally dropped briefly into the leaf litter, settling with closed wings and allowing a brief record shot.
Finally as just about to leave the wood a pale butterfly caught my eye...while I assumed Brimstone - its weaker flight and more delicate jizz caught my eye and I pursued it until it settled - an very early male
Orange Tip and my first of the year. A fitting end to my butterfly hunt...
still not seen one over here, in fact I think only one has been recorded in Wiltshire so far this year, I think the cooler weather is holding them back 
