Fat of the Land

This summer I’ve noticed quite a lot of small tortoiseshells flapping about, which is a relief, having heard reports of diminishing numbers due to several poor summers…

Fortunately this summer has exceeded everyones’ expectations of what a Northern European summer should be, usually it rains a lot with temperatures below normal….but this year it has been warm, dry and sunny…really, the last summer like this was exactly 10 years ago.

These photographs were taken on one of the hottest days…these thistles, dripping with nectar and full of pollen, were most popular with the bees, butterflies and hoverflies….as you can see. 😉