MORE BUTTERFLIES AT BARBURY CASTLE

Hurrah for a fine sunny day without the risk of showers!  An opportunity to return to Barbury Castle hill fort to see what was  about. 
 I was pleased to see a number of Painted ladies, small tortoiseshells, a few common blues, brown argus, small heath, lots of meadow browns and a ringlet. 

the sheltered  gully where I looked for butterflies 

common blue

large skipper

painted lady

small tortoiseshell

ringlet

small heath

meadow brown

HEDGEHOG IN THE GARDEN

I haven't written here for  a while, the weather hasn't been great for getting out and about, with lots of showers, but this evening I happened to glance out of the window at 9.25 pm and spotted a hedgehog at the end of the garden. It allowed me to get quite close, then 'froze' for a while until I had returned to the house, before running back towards the hedge where I guess it went through to the neighbours garden.  An exciting find; I haven't seen one  in my garden for a long time.

IN MY GARDEN...

It's been a while since I wrote here, it has not been the weather for butterflies recently, and I have had  my usual afternoon's off last week on a school camping residential trip! 
Today is the longest day, but it started it off with downpours all morning, however, it cleared up late afternoon so  I took a few photos in the garden.

Some bumble bees have taken over the nestbox on the side of the  summerhouse!

spillages from the bird feeders are soon demolished by woodpigeon and dunnock

while the robin is going to and fro from the bird feeder to a nest in the hedge I think

I noticed elderflowers in my hedge recently, but not quite  enough

flower heads to make cordial with. I got some from Stanton Park for that and

 have bottled some today.

STANTON PARK

This is yesterday's visit after work for half an hour; I wanted to check whether the mute swans had hatched their eggs. I eventually saw the pair on the water together, but could not see any cygnets with them. Predated? Didn't hatch? Or may be just tucked in at the edge of the reeds, I will need to make a return visit to find out, I think. 

Saw a couple of butterflies, peacock and speckled wood, and was watched by a wary rabbit and squirrel. 

peacock buttefly

rabbit watching me before making a dash for the  undergrowth

speckled wood

squirrel

ROUGH BANK BLUES

My second free afternoon this week and I visited Butterfly conservation's reserve Rough Bank near Stroud.
Lots of small blues about, together with a number of common blues, also spotted a Painted lady but it flew over a barbed wire fence into a field before I could grab a photo!!

The reserve at Rough Bank

Common Blue

Small blue

small blue underside

MORGANS HILL... MARSH FRITILLARY

A very warm afternoon for a trip out,  I  visited a couple of Wiltshire Wildlife Reserves to look for butterflies. I was surprised that there weren't many about really, although I found marsh fritillary at Morgan's Hill which took a fancy to my shoe! My first large skipper and meadow brown of the year too.
Species seen were:
large white, green veined white, brimstone, large skipper, meadow brown, speckled wood, dingy skipper, common blue, small heath, Six-spot Burnet moth.

common blue

dingy skipper

speckled wood

view from Morgans Hill

marsh fritillary - a little faded

which took a liking for my shoe!

path along top of Morgans Hill where butterflies seen