April Nature Walk

Sometimes nature is amazing, I'm sat here downloading the images that I took today while overhead a buzzard is circling slowly against a beautiful blue sky.  When I first came to live in they were a very rare sight and now we see them regularly.

When I went to my very small rural primary school we occasionally went on what were termed `nature walks'.  The most exciting ones were when we visited the nearest field pond and came back with newts and water-snails for the classroom aquarium.  Well today I didn't return with any creatures, but I did bring back lots of lovely photos and I think todays photo is my prize.  I think that this is a female orange-tip butterfly who was determined to stick it out in this spot, even when I prodded the leaf slightly in an attempt to get her to fly.  In the end she stayed put so I hadn't the heart to disturb her further.  I did catch a glimpse of the upper side of the wings when I first spotted her and I'm pretty sure there were no orange tips.  

There were also quite a few Speckled Wood butterflies on the wing in Bagger Wood.  I did manage a more distant shot but then the creature was off before I could get closer and then there were more, playing their mating games along the footpath as I walked.

My intention when I set off walking was to photograph the `spring wild flowers' as an alternative to the garden flowers that I photographed yesterday.  I knew that there was Greater-stitchwort growing up the lane and also bluebells (we have lots of native bluebells around here), so it seemed like a good plan.  As indeed it turned out.  

p.s. I was awarded our Camera Club Photographer of the Year shield at our annual dinner yesterday evening.