Bright sunshine greets me for my morning patrol as I wander out across the meadows where it is butterflies galore.
Exploding from every bush (it seems) Gatekeepers, their dark brown edges contrasting with the orange centre to the wings and dark body. Along a short section of flowering Bramble a quick count produced 32 Gatekeepers.
As I enjoyed the spectacle, my ears were being deluged by the wheezing and chirping of Grasshoppers from the grasses behind and the buzzing of at least 6 species of bees and wasps as they fed on the nectar
The rambling purple flowers of Tufted Vetch looking superb, as Small Skippers skipped about it, disturbing a Meadow Brown which had been basking.
As I stopped to look at a Field Scabious, another Skipper took my attention and on very close inspection this turned out to be an Essex Skipper – the colour of the underside of the tips of the antenna the defining characteristic.
On the bare earth Wall Browns were soaking up the sunshine, on being disturbed taking a short flight then dropping down again. More butterflies included Lulworth Skipper (duller and smaller than the others), Red Admiral, Marbled White, Common Blue, Holly Blue and a Peacock which was showing wonderfully on the tall pale dirty pink Hemp Agrimony flower.
The wonderful sound of a Skylark singing from above the Johnson Meadow floated down as I passed the yellow flowered Tall Meliot, and seed heads of Dyer’s Greenweed.
Perched on the lichen crusted Hawthorn was a Goldfinch, the pale beak contrasting with red face. A chattering from the Wild Clematis and a family of Lesser Whitethroats appeared, and disappeared, then popped up again.
A Kestrel perched on a fence post and Stonechats chatting added to the wonderful start