Hooray! Brimstone caterpillar on Alder Buckthorn that i planted just for that purpose. It was planted several years ago, and we immediately had a couple of years with good numbers of them. Then i read that once the plant is over 3yrs old they won't use them - and we've had none since - until today!

I'm assuming the stripiness means we have the joy of young Dunnocks in our Greenwich back garden (please let me know if I'm wrong!)

Well @thenorfolkcoast.bsky.social beat me to it a few days ago, but I'll post mine anyhow - had never seen Holly Blue ovipositing on Pyracantha before. Greenwich back garden phone shot.

We don't get much of this kind of thing in our small Greenwich back garden.

Yay! Green Hairstreak at Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich again this year. @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social (down in the main dip - on the main stand of brambles).

Female Brimstone waiting for a bus in our Greenwich back garden today (phone shot).

Came to Norfolk last summer for the butterflies (Swallowtail). This time I'm here for the football - but the Holly Blue is out in force in the residential streets bordering Norwich city centre (phone shot - best not to zoom in!).

Wonder if we will be treated to Green Hairstreak again this year at Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich. Not yesterday anyhow. But 2 Comma, Small White, Peacock and a pretty Holly Blue that wouldn't keep still

Male Orange Tip in the Gravesend area 07.04.26. A few males and females seen.

Curlew, Topsham, Devon, just now

My daughter bought me a ceramic cow (don't ask) - containing sheeps wool - to hang out for the birds. A Great Tit got to grips with it and ended up as... a Bearded Tit!

Not seen a Wren in our Greenwich back garden for years Happy Days! @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

A Comma and 3 Peacock at Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich this afternoon. One Peacock frequently opened and closed its wings, making a change from the usual open wing shot @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

Faggs Wood, Orlestone Forest, Kent yesterday (thurs) - at least 4 Large Tortoiseshell seen (and at least 20 butterfly lovers seen).

Grok's new "feature" that allows users to undress women in photos posted to X is a new low for the platform. If you're somehow still active over there, I urge you to let this be your final straw.

My first british butterflies of 2026... 2 Comma and 2 Peacock at Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich today. Also 2 Brimstone fly-bys (1m,1f) through our Greenwich back garden this morning. @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

RSPB B'watch today - 3rd place in our Greenwich back garden to Ring-necked Parakeet (4). Good news in 2nd place House Sparrow (9). More Feral Pigeon than Trafalgar Sq in 1st. Pleased to log Blue Tit, Great Tit & Robin despite the big birds. Last 20 mins a bit quiet after appearance of dirty big fox.

Shags unimpressed by noisy neighbour. The Black Backed Gull did settle down and share the ledge nicely for a while afterwards. Near Lizard Point, Cornwall today.

damp Mullion rooks hoping that the brighter band of sky is heading this way

Pied Wagtail, St. David's Church, Llanwrtyd, Powys. Sat 22/11.

Buttercups flowering in Ockbrook, South Derbyshire today - is this normal? Also Knapweed and pink Clover in flower.

Catching the train from Maze Hill station (east Greenwich) I was surprised to see grey wagtail on the opposite platform waiting for the down train. Never seen one in this immediate area (cropped phone shot) @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

Just walked down our compact greenwich back garden in the fading light and was surprised to see a bird still out and about. Then surprised to see at least 7 mire birds out and about (I think there's 8 in the pic - count 'em). Got to love a long-tailed tit!

Still a few Clouded Yellow to be found at Cliffe Pools, Kent today. Was hopelessly trying to follow a flighty one when it stopped suddenly, having found a female.

Grown from a conker i picked up 30 years ago. Quite pleased with myself!

Small White in our East Greenwich back garden yesterday. I love the groovy black background, which was the pure happenstance of how my point and shoot auto setting dealt with white butterfly in bright light @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

Happy little B on allium in our back garden

Self-set in our low patio wall: far prettier than anything we could plant!

Plenty of Gatekeeper currently in the local open spaces, but don't remember seeing one in our small Greenwich back garden before @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

17 days ago i reported many Marbled White at Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich - today zero. Instead, dozens of Gatekeeper. But stars of the show, this close to town, were Small Copper, Common Blue & the pictured Brown Argus. Thank goodness for Ragwort! @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

Never got a Purple Hairstreak pic actually showing any purple-so when i saw a report of 00s on the wing at Northward Hill, Kent I set off. They must have continued on the wing to somewhere else! 7 hrs in the woods yielded ONE individual agreeing to a photo displaying a tiny purple patch (zoom in!)

Plenty of butterflies at Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich yesterday. Never seen so many Marbled White there - probably 20-30 individuals. But you're probably seeing lots of MW pix at the moment, and i quite liked something about this pic of a lone Large Skipper @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

Terrible phone record shot, but super pleasing record - Small Tortoiseshell on lovely patch of nettles near start of pathway from woodlands park rd to maze hill, East Greenwich this a.m. Not seen one round here for ages. @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

Rare sighting of a Great Spotted Woodpecker in our east greenwich back garden - third one in 27 years. IMHO not bad for a phone shot through kitchen window overdue a clean. @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

I was about 7 when i first gawped at the swallowtail picture in my observers book of butterflies. I am now 69, and have finally gawped at the real thing - fantastic! Hickling Broad 11/6

🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️ I know which I prefer! #AndThenThereWereNon #NoMowMay

Protect hares and their young from shooting during the breeding season... petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...

On Monday our instagram account was hacked and then deleted. We received a ransom note to recover it; obviously we couldn't and wouldn't pay, and therefore lost thousands of followers. Meta support was useless. But we're BACK with a new account: @littletollerbooks. Can you follow us there and share?

My first ever Large Tortoiseshell at Orlestone Forest, Kent on Saturday - after just the 60 year wait.

My first Comma and first Brimstone of 2025, about 10 yards apart, at Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich thurs lunchtime. Several years now the same bramble patch has yielded my first comma of the year @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

I know there's a lot of Red Admirals being posted at the moment, but it's my first butterfly of the year, so i'm going to post it anyway. Vanbugh Hill, East Greenwich this afternnon. @joebeale.bsky.social @dustygedge.bsky.social

The Chalk Stream Recovery Pack is a DEFRA document outlining the policy roadmap to protect and restore England’s unique chalk streams. It exists. It was set for publication in 2023. The government shelved it. Now there is a petition to publish it: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71... Sign up 💙

still sorting out the old files... here's a Small Skipper from Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich 10th July, 2023.

another from the sort-out... Small Copper, Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich 10/7/23

...and another...

Hawfinch yesterday at St Andrews Church, Bramfield, Herts

Another from the sort out... Brown Argus, Vanbrugh Pits, Greenwich 10th July, 2023.

Another from the sort-out... Large White at Trelleck Wet Meadow Reserve July 25th, 2023

My new bluesky account is looking rather bare, and i happen to be sorting out some unfinished photo folders - so until spring arrives i will post some of the results... beginning with Large Heath, Whixall Moss, 22nd June 2024...