Adventurous Ride

Yesterday I saw the first emerged butterflies. Although the temperature was not that high, a Small White (Pieris rapae) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) were slowly enjoying the sun and the nectar of the Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria).

In the evening I decided to drive to an area where a lot of Cuckoo Flowers are growing to see if I can find some Orange-tips or Whites resting on these flowers. I took a small sandy path through the forest as once (six or seven years ago) I had driven there together with a friend. While I was driving on this path I was wondering where all the hills came from.....I was slowly driving up and down, up and down and after a few minutes I started wondering if this was a smart idea as I heard some noises under my car. The path was too sandy and the hills were too steep so I gave myself immediately the answer but the point was that I was out there alone so I had no choice. After a while the path became very narrow and I had to choose a direction; I couldn’t remember being there ever before. Fortunately I choose the right direction as after a few hundreds meter I could see in the distance the main road. I learned another lesson yesterday: saving money for a 4 wheel drive!

Finally I reached the wet meadows and the first Cuckoo Flowers were flowering. The sun was hiding behind the clouds and it was cold and windy. I was walking and searching for a long time but I did not find one single resting butterfly. The Cuckoo Flowers were lovely and I found a ditch full of Iris so I will return soon....very soon to search for Orange-tips!

Canon 7D; beanbag; angle finder;  remote release; 180 mm, 1/85s at F3.5 and ISO125