Heath Fritillary

It's been an awful year for butterflies so far, at least here in Kent.

This is a Heath Fritillary: they are rare in England but there a a few small strongholds where they are quite common including in Blean Wood to the North and West of Canterbury. Last summer and the year before that were very good years for this butterfly - indeed I have a picture from last May with four adults on one sweet-chestnut leaf - but the long cold Spring has meant that until this weekend I had seen none at all, whereas usually I see them from about the last week of May.

I'm back to taking macro shots of nature. I wonder if my art director will give me a bollocking?