I am no expert in butterflies but I have spent a lot of time over the last week surveying them. I have always been more of a bird person, but I am starting to notice fascinating things about butterflies. Different species can be told apart not only by their appearance, but also by their behaviour, by where they hang out, and by what stage of the spring and summer you see them. For example, on the sandy heaths to the south of Bracknell the season for silver-studded blues is coming to an end while the season for graylings is only just starting. See if you can find the grayling in the picture above. There is something about watching a butterfly going about its business that makes me feel that all is ok with the world.
On Saturday 17th July, our little group of butterfly surveyors recorded eight species at Blue Mountain and ten at Piglittle with another three noted as we walked back through the village. The most common were the meadow browns and small skippers. Across the two sites we counted more than a hundred of the former and more than ninety of the latter.
If you want extra incentive to look at butterflies, then there are still a couple of weeks left to do the Big Butterfly Count - https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/
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