My fears that the recent very cold snap will have killed off the butterflies that had emerged prematurley from their winter hibernation appear to have been unfounded as there is now a good list of butterflies recorded in and around the village in the last few days. Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma, all of which have overwintered as adults, have appeared in the garden. Orange Tip and Holly Blue both overwinter in chrysalis form and have both been seen earlier this month. My older books give the time of emergence of both of these as early May so they seem to be responding to the warming of climate change.
A walk down the Weymouth Relief Road cutting yesterday produced one Orange Tip, one Large White, a Brimstone and two Small Coppers, another species that is emerging three to four weeks earlier than it used to.
My sponsored Cuckoo, Selborne, hasn't been tracked since the 7th of April so is probably still lingering in central Spain.It has now been overtaken by two other Cuckoos who stand a good chance of being the first back to their breeding sites in this country.
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