Red Admiral

Mr Sk, my blip spotter extraordinaire, saw this red admiral sunning itself on our walk at Sherborne this morning.  It was surprisingly warm in the sunshine but I was nevertheless surprised to see a butterfly out and about so late in the year.  On checking with Mr Google, I learned the following:

Most red admirals are migrants to the UK from North Africa and        continental Europe, arriving in spring and laying eggs that hatch from July onwards. But some adults manage to survive the winter by hibernating here.


I like the way the tiny spot of blue on the base of its wings match the little patches of blue sky coming through the hedge.