Whilst England’s form faltered at Headingley Stadium, a little further down Kirkstall Lane, nature effortlessly went beyond boundaries, oblivious to the ongoing sporting debacle. Whilst enjoying the sunshine from my back doorstep this Speckled Wood flew into our small back garden to settle amongst variegated Ivy and grasses. 
It flew off to later land on the compost caddy no doubt attracted by the aroma of decaying fruit within. It performed a little dance incorporating a couple of 360 degree turns & a rapid succession of open wing/closed wing movements. What a mover! 
It’s a common Kirkstall butterfly & prefers dappled shade, I often see it seeking shade on the allotment and on the fringes of Kirkstall Hill. Rodley Nature Reserve is 2.5 miles upstream on the River Aire, their Annual Report for 2008 noted that the Speckled Wood was a relatively recent colonist, recorded for the 1st time in 2003. 
What a beautiful butterfly to have living around and about you, and excellent pictures too. Thanks for your kind comment on my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks Emma, its exciting to observe nature from your doorstep! I'm still relatively new to this and am enjoying the challenge of identifying the things around me, so its nice when I familiar visitors pop into the garden.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes. Linda
I hadn't seen one until this year and that was at Rodley Reserve, since then i've seen several! I didn't know they were so new to our area!
ReplyDeleteHello Pam, next time you're up at Rodley I'd recommend a copy of the Rodley Nature Reserve Annual Report for 2008. Its only a couple of quid, makes for an interesting read and its certainly helping me to build my knowledge of species that frequent the area. Thanks for dropping by. Linda
ReplyDeleteThanks for that i'll pick up a copy next time.
ReplyDeletePam