With the exception of our garden-loving holly blue, spring butterflies ,especially the white species, were very scarce this year. This may have been due in part to the indifferent weather in May.

Sumer butterflies are now on the wing notably the grassland species.

From mid-June meadow brown, marbled white and large skipper emerge followed by small and very similar Essex skipper, ringlets and later gatekeepers.

Skippers may be the evolutionary link between butterflies and moths and certainly exhibit similar characteristics to moths.

For example, they have dumpy hairy bodies, eyes set wide apart and short hooked antennae.

When perched they pose with fore and aft wings held at different angles rather like old fashioned biplanes.

Aptly named, they literally skip at high speed at grass height.

Caterpillars hibernate on grass stems in a flimsy cocoon, another moth-like adaption before resuming feeding next spring and pupating.

The handsome marbled white is somewhat misnamed as it actually belongs to the family of browns, not whites.

Then there are the so called 'aristocrats' including the brightly coloured commas, small tortoiseshell, peacock and red admiral often seen on buddleia.

Also flying now are various blues, whites and hairstreaks.

The purple hairstreak is very common but difficult to see as it spends much time congregating at the top of oaks imbibing aphid honeydew, although it sometimes chooses thistle flowers at ground level and is well worth looking out for.

Pictured is the small skipper butterfly.