An influx of Butterflies

I've been hearing about the influx of Painted Lady butterflies in the UK, the first on this scale in about ten years and just in time for the Big Butterfly Count too. They are few and far between in my area normally and I think in recent years i've only seen one in the garden.

Butterflies in general have been a little quiet on the patch and certainly in the garden, I think we were spoiled with the heat bringing them all out last year. Despite that we do in small numbers regularly have Peacock, Comma, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Small and Large Whites the odd Red Admiral and two Green-veined Whites, which landed long enough in a tree for me to ID them! A Small Skipper landed briefly on one of the Buddleia bushes and we've had a few Burnet Moths too.

Comma

Small Tortoiseshell

Peacock

Green-veined White

Large White

Comma

Burnet Moth

Large White

Finally we had Painted Ladies last week, just two in the garden, but they lingered a while. Walking to work though i'm seeing them everywhere, Buddleia bushes are covered and early in the morning they are sat sunning themselves on the flowers. A bush by work has been covered in all sorts of butterflies including many Painted Ladies. My boss thought they'd had one in their garden, but it turned out to be a Small Tortoiseshell so he was quite pleased when I showed him all the ones by work!

Some of the photos are from my phone so not the best but I don't usually carry my camera when i'm going to work.

We've also had so many large moths in the garden, they love the Buddleia also, i've tried to take a few photos - with a torch and my phone but they aren't the best. I need to work on ID's too! The same night as I was trying to get photos a pair of Hedgehogs were snuffling around the nearby flower bed, we have two or three nearly every night, there's been a lot of mating behaviour so it would be wonderful to see youngsters at some point.

On the patio a pair of slugs were mating, this is not something i've seen before! Though i'm not sure we need many more slugs right now!

Elsewhere around the garden we had the usual birds with odd rarer visitor - Chaffinch, Greenfinch and just recently a few young Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, as is usual at this time of year.

A family of Mistle Thrush has been around the street, i've not seen any in the garden, but these two were on the neighbours house

Goldfinch on the feeder by the front window, a sneaky shot as they are flighty!

Dunnock

Starling

Willow Warblers, though my photos don't do the bright yellow justice

And finally a Sparrowhawk which sailed through the garden!