The Emperors Come to Town

At last a brightish day and time for some moth sex! Clive came over with his "girls" - recently hatched Emperor moths - all ready to do their thing and get pheromoning in the hope of luring in some wild males.  We tried them out in various locations around the garden, dangling them in their net and periodically trying them out in the greenhouse to warm them up and get them in the mood. They started shaking their bits and "calling", but males came there none.... Only the captive ones that Clive had also brought, and even they didn't want to mate - perhaps just as well, as the girls are their sisters! Some nice stuff in the garden meanwhile, however - orange tip females laying their eggs on hedge mustard, and various bees going about their business. Clive spotted that blue tits are nesting in the apple tree again - that had passed me by! Anyway, we left the girls to it and scooted off to Foulden Common, where we met Sue P. Fitful sunshine didn't look great for butterflies, but speckled wood and peacock (one each) showed up and then we saw a couple of very fresh-looking grizzled skippers, nectaring on milkwort, and then another two in the old car park area near the gate - never seen them there before. Great to see them, the brave vanguard of this season's flight!