WILDLIFE
The brimstone is widely considered to be the original ‘butter’ fly with its yellow appearance.
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PLEASURES From the bold and brash to the subtle and intriguing, is it really summer without a butterfly on the wing? Tom Marshall takes a closer look at some of these miniature marvels at home in the Peak District... Photographs by Tim Melling
The original Along with the first swallow, the call of a cuckoo or a spring bulb tentatively peering above last autumn’s leaves, the brimstone butterfly is perhaps another sure sign of the changing of the seasons. Thought by many to be the original ‘butter’ fly – with its
lemon-yellow wings and generous size – the name brimstone is also believed to be an old term for sulphur. Like so many harbingers of spring, the brimstone can turn up quite unexpectedly just about anywhere. Gardens are certainly a favourite, as are habitats with a less tranquil history, such as the former railway verges that now come alive with
wildflowers along Peak District routes such as the Monsal Trail. Take a short walk down to the River Chee at Millers Dale on a warm sunny day, and a look in the glades between the riverside trees might just be rewarded with a flash of yellow amongst the ramsons and wood anemones.
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk
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