A swarm of clearwings and some terrific dragonflies...

Linda was keen to see the various 'special' orchids at Upton Fen, so we made a reasonably early start (following a long day for Lin at the Norfolk Show with Sue!) and were enjoying the Fen Orchids and Marsh Helleborines before 10.00am. Lots more butterflies and dragonflies on the wing today, including mint-fresh Brown Hawker and Broad-bodied Chaser. The first Common and Ruddy Darters were everywhere, as were both large and small Skippers. I gave my lures a half-hour stint at a patch od red currants, but got no custom!

At twelve, I darted across to the Fen to look for yesterday's White-letter Hairstreak: no joy, but several White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries, as well as more Brown & Norfolk Hawkers and the first Gatekeeper of the year. The lure worked spectacularly well, attracting up to eleven clearwings at one time! Among these were several slightly larger individuals that steadfastly refused to slow down for a photo: I think the only one that did looks good for White-barred....

It's always pleasant to bump into people who recognise me from the blog: it was terrific to be able to share the CWs with several of them, including Lizard Orchid correspondent John, as well as a few regulars (Hi Liz!)