February, so just one more month of the meteorological winter! On very grey days these Violas are looking bright, with spikes of yellow Species Crocus pushing through ...

Still January and we have our first garden camellia flower, on an east facing wall. This is even earlier than last year, lovely to see.

January mid-winter, good to reflect on summer butterflies. The Wall Brown has increased its distribution in southern Scotland, and become more numerous too. These 2024 images of female and male are from Galloway in the west and the Borders in the east - both typically enjoy basking on warm rocks.

As a welcome signal to pre-Spring, some snowdrops are already showing in our West Dorset garden. These will gradually increase in size and last for about two months if the weather stays cold (as they did last year). 🦋