Wings and Wildflowers

One of the highlights of summer is seeing butterflies feeding on the flowers.

It was overcast this morning, so I waited until noon when the sun came out. During one recent visit, I was lucky enough to spot several gatekeepers enjoying the ragwort flowers.

Further along, the striking red admiral stood out with its black, red and white markings on the purple buddleia bush. Watching them move from flower to flower was a bit frustrating for me as they rarely stay still for long but it's worth it in the end.

On a later visit to the stone cupola, which dates back to roughly 1770 and is the oldest surviving freestanding industrial chimney in Great Britain, I spotted more butterflies among the wildflowers and around the pond.

A beautiful peacock butterfly stopped right in front of me to enjoy the nectar. It was another reminder of how important these wildflower areas are for our butterflies.

These pretty, light purple flowers are called harebells. They look like tiny, delicate bells hanging from thin stems, and they sway with every little bit of wind. Even though they look fragile, they are actually quite tough and love growing in wild grassy areas.

​On a later visit to the stone cupola, which dates back to roughly 1770 and is the oldest surviving freestanding industrial chimney in Great Britain, I spotted more butterflies among the wildflowers and around the pond. I couldn’t get too close as there were too many brambles in the way. I just took a quick photo from a distance before heading back. At least I found some butterflies.