Green

The weather didn't look too promising, but I had a free day so I thought I'd head over to Grassington to explore Grass and Bastow Woods, both renowned butterfly hotspots.

There was little to show for the walk up through Grass Wood, although the sun came out briefly and I found a few Large Skippers and a Ringlet (extra) in a small glade.

It started to look more promising in Bastow Wood, and it wasn't long before I found my first Northern* Brown Argus and Small Heath (extras) of the day.  On the eastern side of the wood, where it slowly morphs into open limestone fellside, the Northern* Brown Argus were more numerous and I had my first fleeting glimpse of a Dark Green Fritillary. I thought that was the best I'd get, but on the walk back down Lea Green there were several more of the fritillaries which gave me the chance to get my main picture for the day, and also my first Common Blue of the year (extras).

*From my pictures I wouldn't say there is anything obvious that makes the Brown Argus that I saw Northern, but the current consensus is those in the western Dales are exclusively Northern Brown Argus (the north of England subspecies, as opposed to the Scottish subspecies which has more distinctive white spots on the forewings.)