I haven’t mentioned Purple Emperors in this blog this year – because I haven’t been out looking for them. A combination of lots of work, lots of rain, lots of time with Henry and lots of MoT work being done on the car has meant that nipping out to see this glorious butterfly has been…
Tag: butterflies
Sunday book review – In Pursuit of Butterflies by Matthew Oates
Matthew Oates has worked for the National Trust for ever and is one of the country’s leading experts on butterflies. With this book, he becomes a leading writer about them too. The book is a celebration of British butterflies and is an account of butterfly days going back for over fifty years. Do you remember…
Inglorious
Inglorious: conflict in the uplands will be available for Hen Harrier Day (9 August), the Inglorious 12th and thereafter. Published by Bloomsbury in late July – but you can order it now on World Book Day.
Not so Fine Shade (5) – privatisation by the back door?
This is a piece I have just had published on the Guardian website which puts Fineshade into the wider political context. Why has the FC allowed Forest Holidays to submit a planning proposal with such inadequate data? Where are those who opposed forestry privatisation when it was proposed by the front door, now it is…
Four butterfly moments
Number 1: I spent five minutes in the garden, looking at my ‘meadow’ and ended up looking at a Meadow Brown (so it must be a meadow, mustn’t it?). Aren’t butterflies lovely? But wouldn’t they look quite ugly if they didn’t have such amazing wings? Have you ever looked at a butterfly’s face and body? …
Butterflies are so easy
On Saturday I had another visit to Duncan Farrington’s excellent farm. I was on the look-out for Turtle Doves as they used to be here but I haven’t seen, or heard, one for years in this spot. Duncan’s farm looks good for Turtle Doves to me – plenty of thick nesting cover on the old…
A peculiarly Scottish butterfly
The Chequered Skipper is perhaps the British butterfly with the least expected UK range. Given that this butterfly is found over much of Europe where would you expect its UK range to be centred? Just over the Channel in southeast England? Maybe the New Forest or Dorset heaths? Think again! The Chequered Skipper is found…
But me no buts
I haven’t seen many butterflies yet this year – a few Peacocks, lots of lovely Brimstones and some very welcome Small Tortoiseshells. But I am keeping my fingers crossed for a sunny, warm summer with lots of butterflies on the wing. Last year, do you remember?, consisted of a grotty spring and then a fine…
Butterfly Conservation – flying high!
The autumn issue of Butterfly came through the door yesterday, and with it Butterfly Conservation’s Annual Review for 2012/13. Both are so well-produced and interesting that I have read them already. I highlighted the last issue of the magazine as being superb, and I’m not going to do it three times a year (though…
Gardening leave
I don’t get out much these days – I spend much of the day sitting at a computer and writing. I’m not complaining – it’s what I want to do, but I am a bit deskbound. The other day I heard a bird call come through the window that was closed to keep the heat…