A First!

Today I really have had little time to stand and stare due to vets visits, but I did manage a quick walk with the camera at lunchtime, and I was certainly glad that I took it with me: I saw the first Comma butterfly that I have ever spotted in this area.  Over the past couple of days I have spotted a butterfly on two occasions, each time though it was flying too fast to identify, but this one had settled on a patch of Lesser Celandine.  They are a distinctive butterfly with jagged edges to their wings, making them look like ragged Small Tortoiseshell.  It was this distinctive shape that immediately caught my eye, rather than the colourings.  Their name derives from the comma like markings on the underside of the wing. They come out of hibernation at the end of March, so this beauty had survived our long hard winter.   It was certainly a sight that made my day, as I always get a real buzz out of seeing something new to the area, or a species completely new to me.  This one is also extra special as it is a species that nearly became extinct, but has now rallied and has become widespread, unlike many butterflies that are suffering from lack of habitat.