Wildlife Worries

This should be a wonderful time of year for observing and enjoying the local wildlife. Sonny is settling in well and seems to prefer feeding on the grass cut short by the strimmer rather then the longer grass left specially for him, and....

....the small group of northern marsh orchids which live up the farm track not fifty metres from our front door are coming in to exuberant bloom, but all this wonderful life is being marred by....

....the dreadful dearth of butterflies. A peacock, a very battered painted lady, and this white are all we've seen so far this week.

Yes, temperatures are low for the time of year; and, yes, it's a bit breezy, and, yes, there are thunderstorms around though no rain has landed on us - much as we need it - but we're not seeing butterflies in any environment - fields, woodland, verges, garden. Worse, as I wrote the other day, we're conspicuously short of insects of any sort - which, making an effort to look on the positive side, is good for our young brassicas.

Mrs MW tells me I'm too pessimistic. I hope she's right.