It has been an anxious few days with my father who couldn’t understand why he had a birthday cake and cards and a disappointment that my mother was too ill to be with him.  So it was a pleasure today to relax and go for a walk near one of our favourite quiet beaches.

In the parts sheltered from the strong wind we saw several butterflies which was a bonus after seeing so few this year.   Among those were Ringlet, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Wall and Speckled Wood and the Painted Lady butterfly which is not very common in the area although it can be found throughout Britain. It is a very strong flier and migrates from as far afield as North Africa and the Middle East but in the south of England a few might overwinter and breed.  It used to be thought that they died with the first frosts but now it has been discovered that they fly over 500 metres high back to the same area that their predecessors left earlier in the year.  It is quite remarkable how some creatures have that instinct to journey to a place they have never known.
The extra shows a Small Copper and a Meadow Brown on ragwort.
As both pictures are also of ragwort I have tagged it for Flower Friday