Purple Patch

 I've been enjoying a pretty good run of late with lots of decent wildlife having been observed, happily today continued that trend and I saw a bevvy of butterfly beauties on my walk around Harry's Park Wood. With plenty of sunshine and not too much wind the conditions were good for insects and I had one of my best butterfly days of the year so far.

Purple Emperors

Bears Lane had lots of Meadow Browns and a new brood Comma while several Yellowhammers were singing from the roadside bushes. A Large Skipper was seen just within Harry's Park but it was overshadowed by the next sighting. A male Purple Emperor, one of my target species, was found feeding on the ground, it's always good to photograph an emperor that isn't licking a Dame Thora! I watched it for a while before it flew up into the canopy, the pain of my loss was compensated for by the first of thirteen White Admirals that I saw. Ringlets and Meadow Browns were common along the rides while numbers of Large Skippers have increased dramatically, a few tired looking Speckled Woods persist too. Singles of both Purple and Black Hairstreak were found on my stroll though I didn't get a picture of either. The other species that made up today's tally were Red Admiral, Large White and a possible Small While. Two further Purple Emperors made it on to my list before I moved on, it could be a good year for them.

White Admirals

Six species of dragon were present in the wood of which my first Common Darter of the year was the highlight. An old looking female Broad-bodied Chaser provided some contrast with an immature Black-tailed Skimmer while the hawkers were represented by Southern and Brown Hawkers as well as Emperors. Not many birds of note other than a male Cuckoo and Ravens were seen but it's not the best time of the year for birding. Once I'd finished at Harry's I walked back to Weldon where I made tomorrow's lunch reservation in the George and also enjoyed a couple of pints before catching my bus.

Red Admiral, Common Darter and Broad-bodied CChaser