Saturday 2 April 2016

Butterflies, Butterflies, Everywhere

The forecast was for a Bright Sunny Day so we decided to make the most of it.

We started out by popping over to the Upper College Farm area.

Not much about in terms of Butterflies although we were perhaps a little early; arriving at around 9.30 am. But we did open our account for the year there with a Peacock Butterfly and this Comma Butterfly:


And we were super-pleased to find three patches of Coltsfoot viz.


One of the patches was quite large; the other two patches numbering just a handful of plants.  A lot of Ground-Ivy was also flowering.

Back at the car and with the Sun shining brightly, we decided to try our luck on the Erith Marshes (aka the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area). And our luck was most certainly in.

An extensive patch of Red Dead-Nettle (aka Purple Archangel) close to the Thames attracted both Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies viz.



Also a Buff-Tailed or White-Tailed Bumblebee viz.


We spotted our first Green-Veined White Butterfly of the year, visiting Spring Blossom, in the small Wooded section of the Reserve viz.


Where we also noticed a Speckled Wood Butterfly.

On/beside the Public Footpath that connects the Reserve to Belvedere Road we noticed a few Small White Butterflies viz.



Also Brimstone, Comma, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies viz.





Before leaving for home we ended our perambulations with a brief visit to the Southern Erith Marshes where we spotted both a Bee Fly and a Speckled Wood Butterfly visiting Spring Blossom viz.



And beside the Eastern Way we were particularly pleased to see some flowering Spotted Medick (it being a favourite of ours) viz.


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