Early butterfly

 

Brimstone. Photo.John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

The Brimstone butterfly is one of the few that over-winters as an adult, the majority passing the winter as either larvae or eggs, and so becomes one of the earliest to appear in the Spring. Now a regular visitor to our gardens on warm afternoons, it may also be seen along the path to Ashton , with other over-winterers Red Admirals, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell. The Dandelion provides an early source of nectar.  

My Cuckoo

 The latest bulletin from the BTO on my sponsored cuckoo Arthur.

 

Arthur rocks up in Morocco

 Cuckoo Arthur was tagged at Surlingham Marshes in Suffolk on 31st May 2025. Just a few days after Ashok made his move, Arthur also crossed the Sahara. He took a route via the western Sahara, including a spell over the sea as he travelled east of Lanzarote and made landfall again just south of Agadir in Morocco. He is currently 33 miles south east of Agadir.