Small Butterflies at Sutton Hoo (and a Holly Blue in the Garden)

There were a few butterflies fluttering about at Sutton Hoo, but not in the numbers we had hoped to see. We watched a couple of skittish Speckled Woods, but they didn't pause for the camera. However, Small Coppers always put on a good show despite their tiny size, and there were several about, some of them flying in pairs.  

There were no tours round the royal burial mounds, which surprised us on a sunny afternoon, but it was lovely to see the trees back in leaf and blossom. 

We had a good view of Woodbridge over the river Deben. You can see all the dandelion clocks in the foreground. 

The soil at Sutton Hoo is sandy, and this suits a butterfly that is even smaller, I believe, than the Small Copper, namely the Small Heath. We noticed a few of these exquisite creatures. In some ways the Small Heath resembles the Gatekeeper, but it is much smaller and has one white spot on each forewing instead of a pair. 

The Small Copper below looked rather ragged, but perhaps most of the 'marks' are grains of sand as I suspect the adult butterfly had only recently emerged. 

 It was a joy to hear and watch a couple of Skylarks.

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21 May 2018

Having enjoyed sightings of the Small Copper and Small Heath at NT Sutton Hoo, it was lovely to find a Holly Blue in our own garden - and one that actually stopped to perch for a few seconds.  

If you are in the UK, you might like to vote for your iconic insect on the BugLife site here. I was torn between two in the England list!