LAVENDER AND BUTTERFLIES

With lavender season in full swing, I found that there was a lavender farm in the Cotswolds so decided to pay them a visit. I'm not sure how busy they usually are on a Saturday, but my arrival coincided with about 5 coach loads of  youngJapanese tourists!!  However, with such a vast area of lavender there was no difficulty in finding space to enjoy the sight and smell of these lovely flowers. Many of the female tourists were dressed in floaty dresses and wide brimmed hats and spent their time either taking selfies or posing for their friends! It certainly was a lovely place for photos, and I saw an official photographer taking family portraits there too - you have to get permission for that! 

With the sun mostly hidden behind the clouds, there weren't many butterflies around, but nevertheless I did  few individuals of different species, namely small and large white, comma, peacock, red admiral, also gatekeeper, meadow brown and small copper. If the sun had shone I am sure the lavender would have been alive with the fluttering of wings. 

The harvesting of the lavender had just begun in the field over the road, and the farm closes to the public at the beginning of August. 

As well as lavender, the farm boasts large areas of wild flower meadow, with a range of colourful reds, yellow, purples, blues and whites - the sort of flowers you see on greetings cards. It was a beautiful sight and one I  would return to another year.