At the Butterfly House, Berkeley Castle

Just as I was preparing to leave for my planned trip back to the Butterfly House at Berkeley Castle, the phone rang, urgent emails arrived and I had to sit in the middle of a minor communications problem. The editor of the local paper wanted a quote from me for a story about last week's consultation event, but I felt it should have be supplied by someone else. It all worked out after the flurry of activity and I'm pleased we will have a positive story in tomorrow's local papers.

It was still sunny after the mists had cleared this morning so my trip was a pleasure, slowly driving across the Cotswold landscape of the Severn Vale down towards the River Severn at Sharpness again. When I reached the castle on the edge of Berkeley village, I was stopped at the big gates to the grounds and was told a film crew had taken over the castle for the day. This didn't worry me however as the Butterfly House was still open and when I reached it I realised there would be very few people there, which was a bonus.

I had brought a tripod so I could take better macro shots, but in the end I didn't use it. I just rushed around madly shooting off pictures of all sorts of the butterflies in various modes, some still on leaves, other flying around rapidly in search of a mate before the cold weather chills them off. I had several chats with the woman who looks after the butterflies and I learnt a lot about their care and some of their life cycles.

I took far too many pictures, but am pleased that I got some I like. I have made a choice for a blip but I'm not sure whether it is the most suitable. Tomorrow I will probably put about fifty pictures
into a Flickr gallery, but that must wait.

Meanwhile here is my offering, which I think is called an African Swallowtail.

..... and here is the Flickr Gallery with many, many more butterflies to admire!