The sharp-eyed amongst you may have noticed that I recently added a new page to this blog (see the link in the top menu). As it says on the page, Butterflies 2018 is a chronological list of the first time I’ve spotted each British butterfly species during 2018. This isn’t like my Birding 2018 challenge, where I’m deliberately trying to see 200 species in a single year – 2018 just happens to have been a very good year for me for seeing more butterfly species than ever before (bear in mind that I’ve only been living in Britain three years, so I haven’t had a lifetime of butterfly watching, and there are plenty more species I’ve not yet seen). And I figured it would be a good idea to have a chronological list as a personal aide-memoire, so I know which butterflies to look out for in which months in future years.

Common it may be, but I still think the Common blue is one of Britain’s loveliest butterflies.