High Summer, at last!

It has been a hot, sunny, day, providing ideal conditions  for insects which have been very active, although sadly  few in number. This  morning  there was a Common Darter (dragonfly) in our garden perching near the  pond. We tried to count butterflies but there were only a couple of  Brimstones, a Large White  and a couple of Gatekeepers. 
Late this afternoon, we visited our local  butterfly reserve which is  on chalk downland. Here there were more butterflies, but they were moving too quickly to photograph. We spotted Marbled Whites, Small Skippers, Meadow Browns and Hedge Browns. There were lots of seedheads of Yellow Rattle and orchids, plus flowering Knapweed, Marjoram and other chalkland plants. This is a general view looking  towards  the start of the  South Downs.