Ringlet

The Ringlets have fully emerged while I was away in Wales. After a few fleeting glimpses of "might be Ringlets" over the past couple of weeks it's good to see them in numbers, and to have a chance to get up close.

Less than a decade ago these were very scarce in Bradford District, with the gravel pits at Ben Rhydding for a long time providing the only known colony. Now I see them everywhere, from the university campus in the city centre through to the hundreds on the moor. This one was near the Yorkshire Clinic in Cottingley.

Just along the road in the post-urban ecology of a former school I counted 70, along with lots of Meadow Browns, Small Tortoiseshell, and Large Skippers.

Although they only have a relatively short flight time they're one of the highlights of my butterfly year.