While out walking today, I was surprised to encounter a butterfly.

Based on general colour and behaviour, it was probably a Small Tortoiseshell.


--
Gianna

http://www.buchan-meteo.org.uk
* * * * * * *

You're not the only one surprised, Gianna. I saw a Red Admiral in the garden
in Wokingham this morning. The book says that they arrive in May from the
continent, but I wonder if this one over-wintered here.

--
Bernard Burton
Wokingham, Berkshire, UK.

Satellite images at:
www.woksat.info/wwp.html
or
www.btinternet.com/~wokingham.weather/wwp.html
"Gianna" wrote in message
...
While out walking today, I was surprised to encounter a butterfly.

Based on general colour and behaviour, it was probably a Small
Tortoiseshell.


--
Gianna

http://www.buchan-meteo.org.uk
* * * * * * *

Bernard Burton wrote:
You're not the only one surprised, Gianna. I saw a Red Admiral in the garden
in Wokingham this morning. The book says that they arrive in May from the
continent, but I wonder if this one over-wintered here.


I think it must have.
I have since become even more surprised ...

I also saw a flower which seems to be a Birdseye Primrose (P. farinosa).
I would not have expected to find it here, and certainly not on this date.
Happily, I made several photographs of that so am certain I did not imagine it.


--
Gianna

http://www.buchan-meteo.org.uk
* * * * * * *

in 221386 20070302 153723 "Bernard Burton" wrote:
You're not the only one surprised, Gianna. I saw a Red Admiral in the garden
in Wokingham this morning. The book says that they arrive in May from the
continent, but I wonder if this one over-wintered here.

I saw a colourful butterfly (probably Red Admiral, but not 100% sure) on January 1st.

In uk.sci.weather on Fri, 2 Mar 2007, Bob Martin
wrote :
in 221386 20070302 153723 "Bernard Burton"
wrote:
You're not the only one surprised, Gianna. I saw a Red Admiral in the garden
in Wokingham this morning. The book says that they arrive in May from the
continent, but I wonder if this one over-wintered here.

I saw a colourful butterfly (probably Red Admiral, but not 100% sure)
on January 1st.

I saw a butterfly several days before we had that snow.
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham (change 'invalid83261' to 'blueyonder' to email me)

Bernard Burton wrote:
You're not the only one surprised, Gianna. I saw a Red Admiral in the
garden in Wokingham this morning. The book says that they arrive in
May from the continent, but I wonder if this one over-wintered here.


Satellite images at:
www.woksat.info/wwp.html
or
www.btinternet.com/~wokingham.weather/wwp.html

Quite a few Red Admirals hve over-wintered and I have been told by an expert
on butterflys that they only hibernate lightly and therefore will appear if
the weather warms up slightly. If you visit
http://www.hertsmiddx-butterflies.or...tings-new.html you will see
they have been around in Hertfordforshire all winter and no doubt other
southern counties will be similar.

Alan

Red Admirals now overwinter regularly and don't hibernate in the
"normal" sense but are active in any suitable weather (sun required
but it can be as cold as a mere 5degC). During the past winter, they
were seen widely, eg on 1st January were observed in at least 12
different counties.

Jack

I have been seeing Red Admiral butterflies all winter long here. They are
quite a common sight on calmer, sunnier days.

Also chiff chaffs and black caps appear to over-winter here too as they are
frequent visitors to my garden.
________________
Nick G
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk