Brown

Having travelled out yesterday I thought I'd stick close to home today.

It had been a while since I'd been across the valley to Buck Wood which is where I'd had my first butterflies of the year back in March. My usual route took me down into Tong Park, under the viaduct, across Otley Road and along the river to the green bridge. 

In Tong Park there were lots of Small Skipper and Meadow Brown and Large and Small White. Ringlets are on the wane but there are still a fair few about. I also saw single Comma, Red Admiral, Silver-Y, Pale Straw Pearl and best of all another White Letter Hairstreak which was my first record in my local patch.

Down at the river, a Kingfisher zipped upstream as I arrived, and then it was more of the same for butterflies, with the addition of a few Speckled Wood.

Across in Buck Wood I came across a nice small, damp glade where today's featured female Meadow Brown was basking along with several Ringlet and Speckled Wood.  I'd been hoping to get into the meadow that sits on top of the old tip but it was impenetrable with a combination of Himalayan Balsam, bramble and nettles. The balsam really seems to have taken over this year - large tracts of the river bank and the woods are now suffocating under the stuff.