There was a certain 'early autumn' feel as we set off on our final Big Butterfly Counts of 2018. It wasn't actually raining at that point, but it wasn't exactly sunny either. We decided to visit one of the two Local Nature Reserves near our home as previous visits have produced the Green and White-letter Hairstreak.
There were few white butterflies about; and the Holly Blues, often flitting around the ivy, came top in terms of numbers. We counted a couple of Speckled Woods, a Gatekeeper and a Meadow Brown. Where are all the usual Peacocks and Red Admirals, I wonder? There was no sign of a Comma on the blackberries, which seemed a bit unusual. Today's weather has, of course, to be factored in; but even so ...
Still, a fifteen minute count is a count whether or not a butterfly shows up, so we refused to be too disheartened. We have done more counts than ever this year, and I feel a certain sadness that the counting season for Butterfly Conservation is over. The results will be very interesting.
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