Inky

This is a messier image than I'd have liked, and more heavily cropped, but it is what it is: I was on the other side of a fence to the butterfly, so I couldn't get any closer, and it only allowed me two shots before moving even further away. The reason I've chosen it for today (apart from the fact that these tiny butterflies are adorable) is that it shows very clearly the "dipped in ink" antennae that are diagnostic of the Essex Skipper. This is a really useful aid to identification, but often much less obvious than it is here.

In other news, I've been splashing the family cash again, this time on some rather dinky battery-powered garden tools, and today I spent virtually the whole afternoon tidying the edges of the front garden with the grass trimmer. It's such an effective little device that it's a pleasure to use - and given how much I hate gardening, that's quite an endorsement. It comes in a kit with a shrub trimmer, which I haven't used yet, but which I hope will save my hands from the stress of using secateurs.

R: C3, D4.