Bold

There seem to have been a few more Small Tortoiseshell about this spring. Not the numbers of five years ago, but a definite upturn from the past few. This one caught my eye with its unusually bold white markings and as I hadn't yet  blipped one this year, I thought I'd share it.

It was quite overcast and breezy this afternoon, which meant it was a bit quieter out. I did a short loop in the moor, checking out a few more bilberry patches on the way. Sure enough I found a few more Green Hairstreak in a bit of the map that had previously been a gap for me. I'm beginning to make sense of a linear connection between the main stronghold higher up on the moor and what had seemed the isloated population at Moorside. It's made a difference being able to pop once a day, even for short walks, and also to have such good weather during their relatively short season.

In the morning I sat soud out in my teeny garden for a bit and got visited by a Large White, so I'll log that as my 11th species of the year.

Butterfly Journal 2020

11. 26/04/2020  Large White, Baildon