ANOTHER FOUR BUTTERFLIES

Here are four more butterflies photographed on our walk near Honeychurch on Sunday.

A Comma, Speckled Wood, female Orange-tip and a very tatty Painted Lady which I think must have overwintered here. The only other butterfly of which I saw several, but was not able to get a picture of was the beautiful bright yellow Brimstone butterfly

MORE BUTTERFLIES

Here are some more of the butterflies I spotted yesterday, Sunday the 10th of April on a walk from the sweet little village of Honeychurch near Sampford Courtenay.

A Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Male Orange Tip & a Red Admiral.

HOLLY BLUE BUTTERFLY

This extra warm weather has brought out an abundance of Butterflies & recently I have seen 9 different species. These included a battered looking Painted Lady a Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, Yellow Brimstone, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood & Small Tortoiseshell.

Here is a beautiful little Holly Blue visiting the Ivy in my garden.

GREEN TIGER BEETLES

This wonderful spell of hot weather has brought out the Green Tiger Beetles (cicindela campestris) in abundance. They are all over the Hunters path below Castle Drogo & well worth looking out for; their brilliant metalic green is almost jewel like. I managed to get this picture at a distance as they are quite wary.

DEVON VIOLETS

There are masses of beautiful wild Devon Violets out at the moment, great news for Fritillary Butterflies. I took this picture on the hunters path below Castle Drogo.

THE SWALLOWS ARE BACK!

I am so excited, I have just seen my forst Swallows of the year! A pair that nest near Eastern Court each year & defy the traffic when they sweep low along the road in search of insects. It is just amazing how they manage to stay together & fly back to Chagford at nearly the same day each year.

Here is one of my watercolours of a pair of Swallows

Stoke Gabriel

Today I had to take a painting down to some friends in Goodrington so on our way home we stopped off to have a walk & explore the pretty village of Stoke Gabriel which sits beside a creek on the river Dart. The bluebells were coming out in the woodland running along beside the river & it was nice to see so many bushes of Butchers Broom. There is an ancient & well propped up Yew tree beside the church dating back to 1066!

The view shows a lovely Cherry tree in blossom with the Church in the distance.