Small tortoiseshell on Ragwort

Sunny days down south, but the temperatures have settled and are now just pleasantly low 20's. The butterflies are all frantic at home in the garden. Fortunately we don't have ragwort in the garden, but that may be why we also don't have Tortoiseshell butterflies. This was taken buy the roadside in the country - I don't think I have ever noticed so much ragwort around. But I guess it's good if you are a nectar sucker.

I also note that there are two species of tortoiseshell butterfly - the large and the small. Something I was not aware of until looking it up today. This is a 'small tortoiseshell' Aglais urticae.