Sunshine and showers meant today was always going to be a bit hit and miss. We started at Gait Barrows hoping for a Duke of Burgundy. Sunshine was in short supply and as dark clouds approached, a single Brimstone, and a brief unknown flypast of something small, we headed back to the car before the heavens opened. We decided to drive through the storm to Warton Crag where we hoped to find our other target butterfly.
The plan worked well as we arrived at Warton Crag as the rain stopped. The open areas were full of flowers. Early Purple Orchid were everywhere, hundreds seen by the end of the walk.
Cowslips, Birds-foot Trefoil, and numerous other flowers too. Butterflies soon started to appear with Orange Tip and the first of half a dozen Dingy Skipper. Near the summit, 4 Small Heath were seen.
Speckled Yellow moth and Speckled Wood were next, with several Small White also. Then came the hoped for Pearl-bordered Fritillary - only brief views, before it fluttered off not to be seen again.
The final new butterfly of the day were a couple of Green Hairstreak, one of which perched briefly by my feet!
Hopefully we will pop up again in the next couple of weeks for another try for the Duke...
Small Heath and Dingy Skipper respectively below...
