Butterfly No 17: Painted Lady

I had a wonderful day out today. I had intended to drive out to Hathersage to see if I could get some new boots, but one of the roads was closed, and I couldn't resist the urge to continue to one of my favourite wildlife watching locations as it was such a lovely day. I saw lots of fungi, including penny buns, amethyst deceivers, false chanterelles, fly agaric and blackening waxcaps to name a few, I saw the water voles in their usual haunts, there were lizards on the banks, and I saw a brown hare and leveret in the fields. Dragonflies were patrolling the stream - black darters and common hawkers, and perhaps the most surprising, the number and variety of butterflies: peacock, small tortoiseshell, small copper, small heath, red admiral , and a first for this year - a painted lady. Surprisingly, I didn't see a lot of birds: a couple of kestrels, red grouse, a few meadow pipits and the highlight, a redstart.