A trip with Keith to Darland Bank nature reserve in search of Marbled White butterflies.
Darland Bank is on a chalk downland ridge and therefore has a rather rare flora and fauna which tends only to be found in those area.
Our first interesting find was a host of Pyramidal Orchids, one of the specialities of the reserve.
It seemed rather quite all round for birds and butterflies but as we entered one field there was one, then two and three Marbled whites. All flying around us but not settling, which for two photographers is very frustrating! Eventually one took pity on us and landed on vegetation staying there long enough for us to get some reasonable shots.
In all by the time we exited the banks we must have seen around 12 Marbled whites, although strangely apart from one unidentified brown butterfly nothing else. Birds where sparse although we did have good views of a pair of Mistle Thrushes and a Buzzard which flew overhead. But with the numerous sightings of Marbled White we counted our visit a success.
Pete's Favourite Things 