NOW I KNOW.....

…..where all the butterflies have gone - just off the A4 road that runs from Beckhampton to Calne, in the beautiful County of Wiltshire.

We left church and I was quite happy with the blip that I had got, after a brilliant sermon, but then we went out for lunch. As we left the Divine Tea Rooms at Cherhill (and I can thoroughly recommend going there - so thanks Gill) we watched an artist at work, painting a mural on the wall of the Tea Rooms. Of course, I had a chat with him - so I changed my mind again and thought, "blip sorted".

But then we stopped in a lay-by overlooking some gallops on the main A4 road and we were treated to the most amazing sight of so many butterflies and moths, that I was spoilt for choice and because I am a woman, changed my mind yet again!

Mr. HCB impressed me because he knew that the moth with red hindwings and six red spots on metallic greenish blue forewings was a 6 Spot Burnet, and I really thought that this would be the one, but this butterfly, which is a Marbled White was the one I chose.

According to Mr. HCB's British Wildlife book, the Marbled White favours flower-rich, grassy meadows, often on chalk downs, flies July-August (so it's a couple of days early!) and visits knapweed and thistle flowers, which it was certainly doing today.

It landed on this Common Spotted Orchid and I couldn't resist it. I have put two photographs of the 6 Spot Burnet Moth in my Blipfolio and think you will agree it was a hard choice!

"How does one become a butterfly?
You must want to fly so much
that you are willing to give up
being a caterpillar."
Trina Paulus