We were glad to have the shelter of the yurt with all the short but intensive hailstorms. It was great to hear the hail on the canvas roof. It reminded me of my childhood with the tin roof. Stirling work by Andretta, who came up from London to take over the jobs I couldn't do with my rotator cuff injury. Many, many thanks! Andretta dug out an area for planting native wildflower plants before helping to plant them. We continued the ongoing repairs of the bird hide. The paths were mowed. We...

It was lovely to see the woodlands coming alive in the Easter sunshine. We saw so many butterflies that we gave up counting. Comma, brimstone, peacock, painted lady, large white and small tortoiseshell. There were so many ladybirds resting on the skylight in the yurt. Ladybirds in the UK are vital garden predators, with 26 recognisable species (e.g., 7-spot, 2-spot) that feed on aphids and mildews. They undergo a four-stage life cycle, laying yellow eggs that hatch into alligator-like...

Butterfly sightings are becoming increasingly common as the weather starts to warm up. But which ones are first on the scene? What you are most likely to see in early spring include: Peacock, from mid-February Small tortoiseshell, from the end of February Brimstone, from the start of March Comma, from the start of March Red admiral, from the start of March Small white, from the end of March We have already seen 4 peacocks and a small tortoiseshell. Steve also saw a shrew in the snake pit....