Spring Equinox

Not only did my calendar say Spring Equinox today (vårdagjämning in Swedish) - the sun was shining, it felt like spring in the air, I found the first spring flowers at last - and even spotted the first butterfly! 

After lunch I went for my usual Friday "recycling walk" to bins located some 10 minutes walk from home; and after I was done with my sorting there, I went to check on a nearby flowerbed along a south-west facing facade - a place where I do often find the very first spring flowers in my neighbourhood... 

And when I got close, I was happy to find not only snowdrops, but also the first few crocuses - and one butterfly, probably still feeling dazed from winter hibernation... (And making me wonder if it, too, knew exactly where to look for the first flowers, because there are certainly not many of them to be seen yet!!)

 

 

"The small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) (Swedish: nässelfjäril) is a colourful Eurasian butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Adults feed on nectar and may hibernate over winter; in warmer climates they may have two broods in a season.  --- Eggs are laid on the common nettle, on which the larvae feed." (Wikipedia)

Drama Queen

We've had a bit of a heat wave again for a few days; followed today by quite a dramatic thunderstorm. Luckily I did not have to go out in it! There was no power outage either (where I live), but I did disconnect myself from the internet for a while (i.e. turned off the router) - while the lightning and thunder was really close...

Back on Monday, I did go out for a walk (even though it was really too hot for my liking). Then I met this Peacock butterfly, graciously spreading its wings and displaying all its beautiful colours while resting among the yellow flowers of a Dasiphora fruticosa (cinquefoil) bush. (I do hope it found somewhere dry to hide today.)

Pili-pala

Dw i'n mwynhau gwylio'r pili-pala (Welsh)
= "I enjoy watching the butterfly" 

On Saturday afternoon the sun came out (after having been absent for a few days). I went for a walk to my "Butterfly Park" again and was pleased to find all my familiar little friends there, enjoying the sunshine. (Where do butterflies go when it rains??) Last time I was there taking photos I saw mostly Painted Ladies, but this time the Small Tortoiseshells seemed to be in majority.

I like the Welsh word for butterfly, pili-pala (which I learned from Duolingo). I don't know the origin but to me it kind of sounds like a butterfly moves... (don't know if that makes sense to anyone else!)

Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni)
Swedish: Citronfjäril ('lemon' butterfly)

Peacock butterfly (Inachis io)
Swedish: Påfågelsöga ('peacock's eye')

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)
Swedish: Nässelfjäril ('nettle' butterfly)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Swedish: Amiralfjäril ('admiral' butterfly)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui, or Cynthia cardui)
Swedish: Tistelfjäril ('thistle' butterfly)

Chasing Butterflies

I was happy to see butterflies in my Butterfly Park again this past weekend. (The park has another boring name really, but I've been calling it Butterfly Park since I first started blogging.) I love chasing butterflies around the flowerbeds there with my camera - I find it strangely meditative. (At least when I'm the only human there - which on this occasion I was!)

Predominant this year are the Painted Ladies, or thistle butterflies. We are having quite an invasion of those in Sweden this year (and so does Britain, I've gathered from friends over there). They come here from the Mediterranean area and North Africa in the spring, but I don't think we've ever seen as many of them before as this year (well not in modern times anyway). Enough to be News in all the media, especially back in May when they first arrived. (I'm guessing that many of those we see now are the offspring of the migrants.)

 And they seem to really love the Echinacea flowers in the park...

 

However, I also spotted two colourful ones of different kind... One of them (Peacock) I noticed while I was there in the park; the other one (Small Tortoiseshell) not until I got the photos up on my screen at home!

Peacock butterfly

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly

There were also several white ones.

And some busy bumblebees as well.
 

Early Autumn Colours

Butterflies: Small Tortoiseshell, Common Brimstone and Red Admiral.

Rowan berries turning red.

The first leaves dropping to the ground.

That special light.

Autumn market in town (last weekend in September).

Through My Lens #9

Outdoor Wednesday

Friday My Town – Sights of Autumn

 

FMTSO: Close Up

Some close-ups I’ve snapped over the past three weeks – all taken in the neighbourhood of where I live, for

Friday My Town Shoot Out: In Close Up

‘'

Of Rain and Tiny Creatures

It’s been raining quite a lot over the past week, but on Friday afternoon I managed to get out for a while in a break between the clouds.

I’ve not seen a lot of butterflies this summer – but come to think of it, it’s not until August and early September that I usually do see them in this park. And the weather has to be sunny!

Anyway, this Friday I saw two different ones: Besides the Small Tortoiseshell (above) also a Red Admiral, who preferred not to let himself be photographed.

The Willowherb flowers are growing old…

… and the Rowan berries are getting red, already.

Another day recently I saw another little creature that did not let me take its photograph, so you will have to take my word for it. It was when I was crossing a street  near where I live that I saw something very small scuttle out in front of my feet, then stop and freeze. Really, it was so small that at first I thought it was a large beetle. But when I bent down to have a look, it turned out to be a teeny-weeny mouse. Truly, it cannot have been been more than 40-50 mm + tail. There was a car coming and I did not want to see the wee thing get run over… I tried to to get it to climb onto a piece of paper I had in my handbag… It wouldn’t though, so the best I could do was just “shoo” it back into the high grass at the roadside (out of which it had come)… And once I got it moving in the right direction, it disappeared very quickly - leaving me wondering what on earth it was I’d seen. Browsing the internet, I can’t find that there are supposed to be any pygmy mice in Sweden! So I can only assume it must have been a very young wood mouse.

Below is a postcard I got a while back from John in England – but on the back it says Printed in Sweden! (so I assume the artist may be Swedish as well)