Yesterday morning I went out early, just after 4am and the temperature already up to 16°, to see if I could find some roosting butterflies in the hope that if I did find some they would be coated in dew.
It didn't take long to locate a few roosting Marbled Whites Melanargia galathea ...and yes, they did have a coating of dew, although not as much as I would have liked given that after a short walk through the long grass my boots and my trousers were already soaked through.
I also found some male Chalk Hill Blue Butterflies Lysandra coridon they seemed to be early risers and were already on the way to 'drying out'.
By 7.15am the temperature was rising (20°) in the warm sunshine and the butterflies were already taking to the wing and only briefly stopping to spread their wings and gain that little extra bit of warmth.
I also saw this roosting moth Sulpher Pearl Sitochroa palealis.
Not a bad few of hours, I got some reasonable images, a thorough soaking...and was back home in time for breakfast.
AND.......
....I also managed to get a fat hand!....I guess it's bound to happen If you go crawling about in in the long grass early in the morning, some sleepy insect is going to take offence at being woken up and is going to...BITE YOU!
Since I took these photos this morning my hand has gotten a little fatter and my forearm is now joining it, I can't fully close my hand and the 'blister' has started to weep...apart from a slight itching there isn't any pain, all I've got to remember is...DON'T SCRATCH IT! ...[;o)
