Butterflies in a rush

Talk of winter bird song on this blog, (previous post), is a little melancholy and perhaps premature for some. Indeed, it is said that the Robins song gets more melancholy as winter progresses.. but that's just our mood!

 Well, the butterflies have made up for lost time and are appearing in great numbers right now: I counted 30 Small Tortoiseshells on the ripening Sedums, together with handfuls of Bumble bees.

Bumblebee and Small Tortoiseshell get close up on a Sedum

A Silver Y, shows off its lettering!

We also  noticed a day flying moth: a Silver Y, a common migrant, sometimes in big numbers to migration watch points, but a good enough sighting for this location.

A fine Peacock butterfly joined the party: If you don't already have a few plants like Sedum spectible and Verbena bonariensis, get down to your local Garden Centre, get planting and share in a great autumn show!

Peacock butterfly