There was a forecast for sunshine so we decided to try our luck at finding butterflies at Bentley Wood. The emergence times have been running late with the cold weather that we've had lately so we really weren't sure what we'd find since Pearl-bordered should be finishing by now.
It was a struggle at first but we managed to find some lepidotera in the brief spells of sunshine.
It was a struggle at first but we managed to find some lepidotera in the brief spells of sunshine.
Pearl-bordered Fritillary
One of only two Duke of Burgundy
We managed to get a few shots of an aberrant male Pearl-bordered Fritillary.
There was no sign of Small Pearl-bordered or any skippers. But we did manage to catch up with a Brimstone and a Broad-bodied Chaser.
Brimstone on Bluebells
Broad-bodied Chaser
One of the numerous Speckled Yellow Moth
There were some beautiful plants on the reserve.
Milk Maids or Cuckoo Flower
Ragged Robin
Then we tried another part of the wood and tracked down some elusive Marsh Fritillaries.
Marsh Fritillaries
Marsh Marigold