Forest

While much of the football going year consists of wrapping up in several layers and keeping topped up with hot drinks, a few times a year you get a day like this; it's suddenly shirt sleeves, shorts and ice cream weather.

I bunked off City's penultimate home game of the season in search of more exotic fare, heading down to Nottingham for my first visit to Forest's City Ground on the banks of the River Trent. Middlesbrough were the visitors, and they were the team with more at stake given they're still pursuing a play-off spot, but Forest were in their best form and fully deserved their 3-0 victory (sorry @riversider).

Earlier, I'd headed out to Attenborough Nature Reserve, a huge area of old (and current) gravel pits five or six miles up the Trent. In the couple of hours that I had I just did a relatively short circuit. I hadn't brought my binoculars with me so wasn't able to make the most of the bird life, but there were plenty of butterflies about, including my first Brimstones and Green-veined White of the year, along with lots of Orange-tip, Peacock, a full set of whites, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell. I think this is the first time I'm in double figures for species before the end of April.

Butterfly Journal 2019


10. 22/04/19 Brimstone. Attenborough Nature Reserve, Nottingham.
11. 22/04/19 Green-veined White, Attenborough Nature Reserve, Nottingham.