I've just seen my first butterfly of the year!

[WednesdaysPlaits]

A male brimstone fluttering around the garden. Very early!

I'm on a roll having seen a hedgehog outside the kitchen window a few nights ago and we also have visting ducks who look like they're planning on staying a while on the pond!

Wow! That's very early. Is it very warm where you are?

How lovely. I spotted a caterpillar the other day which must have overwintered somehow. Haven’t seen any bees yet, which I usually have by now.

Not particularly, I'm in the East Midlands. We had the heating on yesterday and I have the fire on today.

I was really surprised to see it.

No I haven't spotted any bees yet. The butterfly beat them to it

A nice surprise for the first day of spring!

Aw, Spring has sprung! Still bucketing down here, mind you, but definitely warmer.

It won't be properly spring for another several weeks here, but I've heard woodpeckers twice, so it's definitely on its way.

I saw a Brimstone while I was running on Saturday 😊

The swans on the lake where I walk were getting a bit frisky last week. They only managed to get one cygnet reared last year out of five hatched, so hope things go better for them this year. The one they did rear looks lovely, not got full adult plumage yet but only a tiny smidge of grey left. The adults look stunning though.

Lovely! Brimstones are usually the first butterflies to be seen in spring, on a nice sunny day. I haven’t seen one yet sadly (in Surrey), but I had a Red Admiral in my greenhouse in February- probably overwintered somewhere and flew in when I left the door open. Some do hibernate, but many are summer migrants. Managed to get a photo, too!

Maybe it overwintered in the greenhouse? We sometimes get them using our garage.

I saw two yellow butterflies yesterday - looked it up and they were Brimstones too! I never knew they were called that OP.

We've had some in the church building over the winter. They start fluttering about when the heating goes on. I put one outside last week because it was just crawling around the floor.

I don’t think so Errol, I’m pretty sure I would have seen it, but they do usually overwinter in sheds and outhouses, but, who knows?

I had blue plants for mothers day and they attracted bees straight away!! Haven't seen a butterfly yet though.

I saw my first bumble of the year today, with its little white fluffy bum.

I saw a small tortoiseshell on a walk at the weekend and another orange butterfly flew past my house. Bees have been around for a while here but I am in the west of Cornwall so not that surprising. Woodpeckers drumming too. Won't be long before the swallows turn up!