My first butterfly of 1999

My first

Butterfly of 1999

by James Mann

On the morning of Tuesday 16th March

1999 I was out in my garden getting things ready for the Spring. I had just put a match

to my bonfire to get rid of a huge pile of rubbish when Anne, my wife, shouted that someone was on the phone wanting to talk about butterflies.

I picked up the phone and a voice asked me if it was possible to see a Large Tortoisehell in Suffolk at this time of the year. I replied that it was possible but unlikely as it was some years since one had been sighted in Suffolk. I was told 'we think we have one' and was given directions to their house in the vicinity of Snape. I dropped everything, grabbed my camera and mobile phone and was there in less than twenty minutes. . I arrived just before I lam and was met by a smiling Paddy and J ulyan Heazell waiting for me in their driveway. As I feared I was told that 'It was here but it was gone'. They showed me where it had been seen and we stood looking at the blossoms and then suddenly it was there just above our heads happily nectaring and taking no notice of us. It was very co-operative and moved down to eye level and I was able to take several close up photographs. When it cooled a bit it flew up and perched on the warm tiles on the next door roof. I phoned Richard Stewart, Suffolk Butterfly Recorder and Rob Macklin R.S.P.B warden at North Warren to get them to verify the sighting. The butterfly, that I was now certain was a Large Tortoiseshell, decided to nectar on blossom some 20 feet above our heads and was still there when I left for home at 12-30. Richard and Rob both saw it around I o'clock and were able to verify the species but they did not have my luck in getting at a level to photograph. The Heazell's last saw it flying off in the late afternoon when it got fed up with being chased by a Blue Tit. Not bad for my first butterfly of the year.

Large Tortoiseshell by James Mann