Red Admiral Studies

Glorious days are few and far between these days, and although the morning nipped chillily into unprotected fingers, if you could find any suntraps then it was obligatory to be outside.

So as soon as it was warm enough, I was off to Rumbles cafe for my morning-ish-nearly-afternoon-by-now tea, where kids played football on the grass or rather grown up looking kids dug huge holes in the sandpit. Me, I just sat and red and let the sun heat up my reptilian blood.

In the afternoon, I decided to have a gentle, very gentle indeed run, thinking all the while about what kind of new CV I should create for myself, career prospects in general, and just why Scotland were being so hopeless against the USA in the first half of the rugby.

It was towards the end of this run, 10km to Beacon Hill Reserve and along the river, that I decided to inspect the last bastion of flora on the local small park for butterflies basking in the sunshine. I was immediately rewarded with the sight of a large white nectaring off a purple bloom, but it was too skittish to be photographed. A big tree bumblebee queen, the first bumble I have seen for a little while, was also busy, but the prize of best model of the day goes to the red admiral that obligingly posed for the photographs you see below.

They are the hardiest of our butterflies I would say, and tend to last longest in the year. I've probably mentioned before I've photographed one on boxing day.

Enjoy the lunar eclipse tonight. 2AM BST is when the moon will start to darken.

Si

all text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.09.15

I see you!

Sun on your back

Beautiful markings, ugly focus

Edge on

Spotlit for glory