Following a serious illness I have been unable to do the BC Butterfly survey this summer. Typical as from being one of the poorest starts to the butterfly season I have seen its developed to the of the best.
I am just starting to get mobile again and this week I have seen silver washed fritillary , white admiral, lots of commas and peacocks ( almost back to the old days ), red admiral , Sm tortoiseshell , Lg, Sm and Gv whites , brimstones , meadow brown , ringlet , gatekeeper , speckled wood , common blue , brown argus , lots of purple hairstreaks , Sm , essex and large skippers plus a single small copper. 21 species of butterfly in three short walks - R Wensum valley at Fakenham , a waste ground field , in Fakenham and Swanton Novers. Add orange tip from the spring and clouded yellow thats 23 species for the year without deliberatly seeking out any of the counties rarer species and having a month recovering at a friends house in the Broads yet again I have failed to see swallowtail butterfly despite many visits to favoured places in the past in the Broads Wheatfen\ Strumpshaw\ Hickling \ How Hill and despite living in the Broads for over 25 years , until1978. I have found the caterpillers several times , but never the butterfly. I sometimes wonder if the butterflies ever exist. The times I have been to Wheatfen ect to be told yesterday swallowtails were seen yesterday or later to be told they were flying the next day I have still yet to see one.
I am just starting to get mobile again and this week I have seen silver washed fritillary , white admiral, lots of commas and peacocks ( almost back to the old days ), red admiral , Sm tortoiseshell , Lg, Sm and Gv whites , brimstones , meadow brown , ringlet , gatekeeper , speckled wood , common blue , brown argus , lots of purple hairstreaks , Sm , essex and large skippers plus a single small copper. 21 species of butterfly in three short walks - R Wensum valley at Fakenham , a waste ground field , in Fakenham and Swanton Novers. Add orange tip from the spring and clouded yellow thats 23 species for the year without deliberatly seeking out any of the counties rarer species and having a month recovering at a friends house in the Broads yet again I have failed to see swallowtail butterfly despite many visits to favoured places in the past in the Broads Wheatfen\ Strumpshaw\ Hickling \ How Hill and despite living in the Broads for over 25 years , until1978. I have found the caterpillers several times , but never the butterfly. I sometimes wonder if the butterflies ever exist. The times I have been to Wheatfen ect to be told yesterday swallowtails were seen yesterday or later to be told they were flying the next day I have still yet to see one.