Large Skipper

The sun shone strongly this morning and the butterflies were out in force. I walked to the edge of the wood where there is a cover crop in flower. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a legume, tall and slender with small yellow flowers that have a heady perfume.

It was seething with honey bees and bumble bees, the sound was remarkable.
The light breeze made it difficult to capture the butterlies but this obliging Large Skipper settled on a more sturdy thistle flower.

You can see the length of it's extended proboscis, as it probes the floret for nectar. This recoils like a hairspring when the butterfly is in flight.

I had my first sighting this year of a Ringlet, one of the few species that is more attractive with it's wings closed rather than open.

I also saw the following butterfly species today:
Red admiral,
Speckled Wood,
Small Skipper.
Ringlet.
Meadow Brown,
Large White,
Green Veined White,

This brings the total to 15 butterfly species seen this year (so far) within a short walk of my home.
I will be adding some images of butterflies to my blipfolio soon.

Many thanks for all your generous comments about my dad yesterday. I forgot to mention that he was the one who inspired my interest in photography, and I still have his SLR Pentax