Sunday 9 June 2013

Skipper, The Garden Isn't Really That Dingy!

Given that we seem to have been having something approaching summer for the last three weekends we've spent quite a bit of time working on the garden. In fact, depending which direction you look, it's starting to look really good. There is still an awful lot of work to do so fingers crossed summer will continue for a few more weeks.

Anyway, while we were sat out in the garden enjoying lunch yesterday we spotted a new species of butterfly for the garden. At first we thought it might be a moth from the way it was flying, but it turned out to be a Dingy Skkipper (or if you prefer the Latin Erynnis tages). Not only is this a new species for the garden, I don't think I've ever seen one before anywhere else. In fact I'm quite surprised to see one in the garden, as my guide suggests it prefers south-facing downland slopes, something our garden definitely isn't.
9 June 2013 at 13:46 , ADRIAN said...

Gardening is good for the soul and turns up an unexpected gem now and again.

10 June 2013 at 08:14 , Helen said...

Oooh lucky you. I've never seen one either and to have it in the garden - that's amazing!

10 June 2013 at 08:22 , Mark said...

Helen, given the geographical distribution shown in my book, I'd have been less surprised to see it in your garden than mine!

11 June 2013 at 12:28 , Kay G. said...

Sometimes butterflies and birds don't do as they are told!

We were always told that our bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly but no one told the bumblebee that, so they fly anyway! This is always told to kids to make them TRY HARDER.
(The bumblebee here is so LARGE and it does look as if it can BARELY fly. You are such a science guy, you might know all about this.)

19 June 2013 at 22:54 , Graham Edwards said...

Gardening turns up all sorts of goodies but seeing new things is a real bonus.

27 June 2013 at 18:58 , Scriptor Senex said...

Dingy Skippers like railway lines and disused railways so I suspect they live along the railway line - that's where I have seen them on The Wirral.

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