The Painted Lady

This beautiful butterfly was spotted on goat willow which is showing signs of the coming of autumn. It was the only butterfly on the wing, which is an achievement as the temperature at the time was 11C on a day when it struggled to reach 14C.

The butterfly is one of two painted ladies which have appeared in the back garden each time the sun has come out. One, this one, is rather bigger than the other, which is also rather moth-eaten.

Painter ladies are rather special as they are immigrants which, over several generations, have worked their way northwards from Africa and the Mediterranean. But, like ocean waves, they can only reach a little further north before they break against the hard shore of northern Scotland's short cool summers and long winters.

I have a special affection for these butterflies because they are, for me, fellow travellers,  emigrants from Africa that will never return.