Small Pearl

I'd been planning to get back over to Gait Barrows NNR earlier in May this year in another attempt to glimpse my first Duke of Burgundy but I ended up letting the whole month slip by before an opportunity presented itself. A quick check of the weather forecast and a day free of scheduled meetings meant I could take an impromptu leave day and head over to Silverdale on the train.

Unfortunately four hours of wandering round the reserve did not reveal any Dukes but there were plenty of Dingy Skipper, Common Blue, Brimstone, Speckled Wood and today's star, the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. Throw in Large White, Green-veined White, Comma and my first Painted Lady of the year and it was quite a successful trip. And for a large green beetle (Rose Chafer) admiring its own shadow, see extras.

There were more Painted Lady and Red Admiral back at the station, but unfortunately the train was 30 minutes late which meant I missed my connection at Carnforth. Given the next train across wasn't for three hours I elected to carry on down to Lancaster and from there down to Preston where I could take the alternative route back across the Pennines. Which still meant I was a couple of hours later getting home than expected, but I should get some compensation for that.

I also debuted my new walking poles - an overdue measure to better manage my dodgy knee. They seemed to make a difference.

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Butterfly Journal 2017

16. 31/05/17 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Gait Barrows NNR
17. 31/05/17 Dingy Skipper, Gait Barrows NNR
18. 31/05/17 Painted Lady, Gait Barrows NNR