We had a great start to the day with a visit from a greater spotted woodpecker. It's not the first time one has enjoyed our peanuts but we wish they would come more often.
Our morning walk took us the length of the strip of woodland which runs to northeast and southwest of Dunrobin Castle. It's showing the effects of our lack of rain, particularly in the brittle brown grass in the clearings, where a few speckled brown butterflies were dancing in the light.
We came back along the coast track which runs below the castle, concerned to find very few insects on the wing. Usually the thistles at this time of year are covered in all sorts of bugs, butterflies in particular, but we only saw....
....the occasional bee, and the only butterflies were....
....meadow browns uninterested in the thistles and far more anxious to lie on the path and soak up the occasional appearance of a watery sun. No other butterflies, that is, until a flash colour caught our eye and we spotted....
....a lone painted lady. Painted ladies migrate up from North Africa, breeding as they come, and this is by no means their northern limit - they cross the sea to Orkney and Shetland. It was very lethargic, clinging to a grass stalk, and not unhappy....
....to transfer to my finger. Worryingly, the poor thing was shivering violently and leaking a thin, orange liquid - but look at the glory of its patterns and colours! Only this morning an expert speaking on Radio 4 was warning that we are losing much of our insect life. How can we risk our children and grandchildren not being able to see and wonder at such a butterfly?
We had a great start to the day with a visit from a greater spotted woodpecker. It's not the first time one has enjoyed our peanuts but we wish they would come more often.
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