A little more freedom

We all received the extremely welcome news, that from Wednesday 13/05, restrictions on our movement was to be eased slightly. We were now allowed to get out for an unlimited number of times and were also allowed to drive somewhere - as long as we maintained the 2 metre social distancing.

This was music to my ears and that very evening I hopped in my car to travel the short distance to my local Grizzled Skipper site near Croughton. It was sunny, but with a bitterly cold breeze. I knew there wouldn't be anything on the wing, but I was hoping I'd be able to find one/some roosting. It took a bit of effort, but just when I was about to give up...

Over the next few days, I popped back in warmer weather and was treated to up to 5 Grizzled (a bloody good count for here).

A single Dingy Skipper was a good find too, as they are very hard to find here. Numbers of Small Heaths were rapidly increasing and my first Brown Argus and Common Blues of 2020 appeared. I was really beginning to enjoy the fruits of this small amount of freedom! 

One of the other local sites I was keen to get to, was Bucknell Wood near Silverstone; somewhere that was just a bit too far away to access on foot or bike during lockdown.

I got up there on 17/05 and was able to enjoy my first Wood White fix of the year too - including a few very freshly emerged. Bootiful!

Cuckoo and several Spotted Flys were also in evidence, plus my first,  crazy-looking Lackey Moth caterpillar!