Of birds and bees

            White Admiral butterflies are not on the wing generally until the third week of June. They like shaded woodland rides with dappled light and plenty of bramble and honeysuckle, and that is exactly where I found 2 or 3 today in Old Park Wood. They were freshly emerged having overwintered as pupae, and looking very fresh and crisp as they took moisture and salts from the track through the wood. They are one of my favourite butterflies and are so redolent of lazy early summer days, as they rarely fly unless the sun is out and overhead. The females will look for honeysuckle to lay her eggs on, so the species likes mature woodland with good clumps of this climber so they can choose exactly the right leaf. The caterpillar will spend the summer eating many a leaf until its time to pupate.

           The adults are strong fliers with a stiff winged cruising style, often perching on bramble flowers to feed......another reason to like this thorny resident. Recent summers have not be kind to many butterfly species with too much rain and cold, although 2018 was a good one, so it is always encouraging to find White Admirals out on time and where I hope to find them again. This same track also held several spikes of Common Spotted Orchid, growing on the verges....another specialist of shady woodland places.

A White Admiral on bramble flowers, its food plant

The underside is pretty good too

Common Spotted Orchid spikes