Red Admiral ( Vanessa atalanta )

We spent a very interesting and informative afternoon watching a webinar entitled "Bumble Bee Identification and Recording".   The webinar was part of "Get Cumbria Buzzing".  Insects in general are in severe decline but pollinators in particular.   One third of all the food we eat has been grown as a result of pollinators.

The scheme is trying to improve the pollinator situation in the NW of the county.  Recording is vital.  To avoid the situation mentioned by Counting Crows in the song Big Yellow Taxi,  "you don't know what you have got 'til it's gone" things need recorded.   If even common species aren't recorded then we don't know it populations are declining.  Apps such as iNaturalist are a great aid in this.

After the webinar Clickychick and I strolled into the village to post a letter.  As we wandered along I saw this Red Admiral, the first I have seen this year.  In fact I have seen very few butterflies at all.  For reasons of its own it chose to settle on the white line in the middle of the road, so I took a quick shot.