About 2mm of rain fell last night, 24th April ending what was fast becoming an unusual spring drought.
On 24th April it was still very dry with the heavy clay soil breaking up even more.
No problem at present for butterflies, with more bright Orange Tip males ranging over the cuckooflower, flowering Garlic Mustard clumps and young nettle leaves on the banks, looking for females, Holly Blue butterflies flying high and low along the Holly and Ivy, large Brimstones flying strongly following the course of the river and Speckled Woods mostly down low along shaded undergrowth - and Peacocks basking. Beeflies, Hoverflies and a few Bumblebees were about (Bombus lapidarius) Red-tailed mostly.
Fine fresh Peacock basking
Same Peacock showing the dry cracked earth
Garlic Mustard (Aliara petiolata), like the Cuckoo flower, is a good plant for caterpillar of Orange-tip butterflies which on this plant, feed on the flower seed pods:
Garlic Mustard growing strongly through last years old nettle stalks
and fallen leaves on the river bank
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