Well, after my cool break in Scotland, that is cool equals good and indeed cool weather wise, it has been back to my usual haunts hunting for butterflies to photograph. Not too many this year yet. It seems we now get barren years and bumper years and this one is shaping up to be the former. There is still plenty to catch my interest so here are a selection of photos from The Lodge, Paxton Pits and Old Warden. The red admiral, above and peacock below were just not interested in opening their wings but at least gatekeepers have interest on the underside of their wings. I have found damsel flies and dragonflies also to be scarce this year, so it was a treat to see a blue damselfly at Paxton Pits. The water lillies are very impressive this year. There was a small family of mute swans on one of the lakes there and cattle finding what little shade these was. At the Swiss Garden the Canada geese brood, 8 goslings, are just about ready to fend for themselves but the second brood for the great crested grebes have now moved from nest to swimming lessons with their ever attentive parents. In the Swiss Garden there was the sound of a red kite and eventually I could see it at the top of a tree. A second one was flying around and in the picture I captured of the one in the tree there is clearly another bird of prey above and to the right. It is probably a buzzard. They seem to bother the kites, as I have seen in the past, so the calls were probably about it. 

Two young boys were trying to get close to one of the peacocks which simply eased its way into the undergrowth with no drama. Of course the good weather brings out other summer creatures like Royal Enfield motorcycles at Old Warden and a very smart Indian at Paxton Pits.