Simply special...

There's a wood not far from where I live which is simply special. Not only can you see one of Britain's rarest butterflies but, if you are really lucky, you can listen to the beautiful song of the nightingale at the same time. And so it was today. My naturalist friend J and I ventured into the wood following the news that the black hairstreaks were flying. That's it in the bottom left in the montage. They are only found in a narrow area of England between Oxford and Peterborough and can be seen for just two or three weeks in the year. Also pictured is a speckled wood and a spotted orchid. Insect in the extra photo is a longhorn beetle (Strangalia maculata).