The onset of winter.

[Neil Jones]

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness" that is how one poet described a 
British autumn. Well he didn't live where I do. Here in South Wales we say 
that if we can see the English coast across the sea it is going to rain. If 
we cannot it is because it is raining. It rains a lot here, in Welsh we have 
to use the word for "to strike" to say it is raining. Today I cannot even see 
the nearby mountains. Winter is fast approaching.  I rather suspect he poet 
had consumed the brewed products of the mellow fruit before writing the poem.

Last week however was a different story. A trip down to Dorset in the sunny 
south of England was a little better. At Butterfly Conservation's HQ in 
Lulworth,  haunt of the rare Lulworth Skipper, the small butterfly garden was 
full of fluttering life. Painted Ladies and Red Admirals abounded and we were 
able to watch a Hornet eating a hoverfly. One of my colleagues had the 
foresight to bring his digital SLR camera and was able to take some pictures.

The highlight for me was the Hummingbird Hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum). 
on the Buddleia. This is a migrant from Europe and although it isn't that 
rare I had never seen one in the UK until 2003. Just bad luck I suppose.

This was my second specimen seen  of the year. The earlier one being at the 
National Botanic Garden of Wales

There are some lovely poetic names for butterflies in Welsh.  The 
Comma( Polygonia c-album) is "Adain Garpiog"  (Ragged Wings) and the Ringlet 
( Aphantopus hyperanthus) is "Iar fach y glaw" (The little hen of the rain or 
rain butterfly) It will fly in the rain which is rather a necessity living 
here, or at least it feels that way today.

Perhaps our friends from warmer climes can entertain us with sightings from 
places where the cold wet of winter does not dampen the enthusiasm.

--
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve.


 
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