New butterfly - Marbled White

I was just thinking that despite the sunshine bringing out loads of butterflies they were all meadow Browns or Ringlets, when a black and white beauty flew across my eyeline. I have never seen a Marbled White before so it was a very welcome sight.

New flower - Fox and Cubs

This flower is not endemic to the UK, having been introduced in the 17th Century, but pretty widespread in the countryside now. I didn't record it last year so it is a new species for our meadow this year. It is a most striking hawkweed just for its colouring.

Nesting swallows

I'm delighted that swallows are nesting in one of the outbuildings. I realised last year that there were plenty of swallows but no nests on our land. To encourage them I installed four artifical swallow nests in outbuildings. Needless to say the swallows have totally ignored the nests I put up and built a makeshift nest resting on a girder. No pictures I'm afraid - I tried a flash assisted picture but it just frightened the fledgling who was sitting there and the photo didn't come out.

6-spot Burnet

A second moth has been formally identified (I'm starting with the easy ones) on our meadow. Fittingly this is the 6-spot Burnet after the previous day-flying moth identified which was the Burnet Companion (so named because it is often found with the Burnet). The Burnet is pictured on knapweed one of its favoured food sources.