Early Peacock -Reply

[Nick Greatorex-Davies]

A colleague of mine saw a Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) basking in
the grass at the side of a woodland ride (track) in Monks Wood National
Nature Reserve on Friday (09.01.1997) lunchtime. On 23rd December
another colleague saw a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) basking on a
compost heap in his garden here in Cambridgeshire (Peterborough I
think).

Nick Greatorex-Davies

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Michael Healey wrote:

"I saw a Peacock (Inachis io) today (Jan 10th) at Holcroft Springs near
Harpenden, Herts, TL148165.  Bright sunshine all day, no wind, very
mild. 
This is earlier than the record in Brian Sawford' s book, but with this
weather there must be other ones."

Andrew Wood wrote:

"A bit further east in Herts I, too, saw a Peacock at Waterford Marsh
(TL314148) and an unidentified Nypmphalid flying too high for positive id
at Hartham Common, Hertford (TL328133).  As Michael says with this
weather
there will be quite a few insects coming prematurely out of hibertation.
Not too many I hope as this is undoubledly a false spring in the UK."