And finally the super bright Scarce Copper.

More on the copper theme of the Spanish pyrenees. I believe these are purple shot coppers. Male and female.

A great two weeks in the Spanish pyrenees. The butterfly highlights were the coppers. I believe these are all Sooty Coopers. Feels a rather drab name for a wonderful beautiful butterfly. Male and female. Am I correct @dunnjons.bsky.social ?

The fields of North East Dartmoor feel pretty Mediterranean at the minute. A couple of Clouded Yellows around today. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Painted Lady in a wild and beautiful meadow on Dartmoor. Left by the farmer and full with hundreds of butterflies flying around. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

First Clouded yellow on my local summer butterfly patch. So many meadow browns. Good numbers of common blues and gatekeepers and a few marbled whites.

More purple hairstreaks low down and almost on the ground than I ever seen. Perhaps staying out of the heat. Loads of beautiful demoiselles and good numbers of Brimstones around too.

White admiral males have set up territories near shady honeysuckle. Lots of fighting and courting going on in the heat today. At one point there were 5 spinning around each other above my head. Magical day @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social

Good news: #NaturalEngland have offered RSPB funding through the #SpeciesRecovery Programme Working in partnership, this funding will allow the RSPB to take action for 25 threatened species in England - from Turtle Dove & House Martin to Lesser Spotted Woodpecker & Shrill Carder Bee #wildagain

Purple hairstreak numbers building. About 30 on my favourite few oaks at 630 this evening. Fighting for the best spots in the sun. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social Mainly males but the bottom left picture is a female. A great site to see.

Purple hairstreak numbers building. About 30 on my favourite few oaks at 630 this evening. Fighting for the best spots in the sun. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social Mainly males but the bottom left picture is a female. A great site to see.

Im going to the woods every chance I get to spend time with the white admirals. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social

Spotted flycatchers in the garden this morning. A rare treat. #Birds

Such pleasure watching white admirals glide into forest glades. Perching high on leaves and surveying the area. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social The most graceful of UK butterflies

The magnificent white admiral in the wonderful woods of Dartmoor. Heaven on Earth. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Next generation of High Browns on Dartmoor being produced. @savebutterflies.bsky.social @bcdevon.bsky.social

Watch BBC Countryfile tonight, BBC One at 7:15. Woodpecker Network and @lesserspotnet.bsky.social volunteers, Ken and Linda Smith, will be in the New Forest talking about and looking for Woodpeckers.

An explosion of male Silver Washed Fritillaries in the woods of Dartmoor this weekend. Lots of fighting for territories. Numbers of Red and White Admirals growing. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

7 high brown fritillaries at a small site on Dartmoor today. Good to see they are still hanging on in a few different spots @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

White admirals are my favourite UK butterfly. They live in the woods, are black and white, elusive, beautiful and if you put in the work can be very rewarding. A lot like my favourite bird! 5 seen this afternoon as the sun came out. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A very overcast humid morning hard to find the silver studded blues on the East Devon Pebbled Heaths. But I managed to find 3 including this beautiful female on the heather. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Freshly emerged High Brown fritillaries on Dartmoor. Not many out yet. 2 seen in the sunny spells between the rain this morning. A magnificent butterfly. Let's hope for many more very the next few weeks. @bcdevon.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

The only Wood Warbler I have seen in Devon this year and I am in the woods a lot! Great to see and hear but always make me think when will I have seen my last in Devon #Birds

4 species of fritillary today but didn't capture the ragged pearl bordered fritillary. 3 in @bcdevon.bsky.social and 1 in @bc-cornwall.bsky.social . Gotta love the fritillaries in the south west. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A yearly adventure across the border to @bc-cornwall.bsky.social to look for heath fritillaries. Over 50 seen today even in mixed conditions. They were easier to photograph in between the rain. One of my favourite butterflies and favourite places to see them.

Looking for the exits. The LSW chicks are very restless now - sticking their heads out the hole and yelling at their parents. Fecal sacs are no longer being removed. A chance they could fledge today at ≈22 days old. Both appear to be female #HantsBirds #NewForest @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

There are now two more female Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers out in the world! What a joy it’s been to share this patch of woodland with these incredible birds for the last 11 days. Thanks to @lesserspotnet.bsky.social for the guidance. The clearing feels very quiet now! #HantsBirds #NewForest

Here's a slow mo of the first two flights for this young male. Not elegant but beautiful none the less. I hope to see the 3 chicks again as adult birds over the coming years. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social

Back this morning to see if the nest was empty. Surprised to see the male chick. Watched for an hour. No feeding from adults. One quick visit followed by a close visit and the Male fledged! Female checked the empty nest and then they were off together. Absolute joy. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social #Birds

Back this morning to see if the nest was empty. Surprised to see the male chick. Watched for an hour. No feeding from adults. One quick visit followed by a close visit and the Male fledged! Female checked the empty nest and then they were off together. Absolute joy. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social #Birds