Don’t ignore the call of nature...
Birdwatchers spend most of their lives looking upwards.
Some might say it’s because we have our heads in the clouds, but scanning the heavens reaps handsome rewards throughout the year.
Winter wildfowl, springtime swifts and swallows, and migrating autumn raptors are a few of the bonuses gained from scouring the skies. But come summer, butterflies, bees and plants in bloom draw the eyes to ground level for more wonderful encounters with nature.
These past weeks I have been traipsing chalk downlands to seek out orchids and other grassland plants.
Can there be a more eye-catching colour than the cerise hues of pyramid orchids? Is there a more subtle scent than the sicklysweet aroma of a fragrant orchid?
Roll out carpets of dog violets, viper’sbugloss, ragwort and poppies and you’re walking on a rainbow.
For all the floral brilliance on display, it is the sight of butterflies on the wing in glorious sunshine that stirs the soul. Common blue butterflies, the colour of Italian football shirts, flitter around, while meadow browns, ringlets, commas and small tortoiseshells go about their business of feeding and breeding.
Suddenly, something grander sails into view – a dark-green fritillary and, at almost three inches across, one of our largest butterflies.
In flight, it is as shiny as a new penny, but once settled on knapweed, the greenish tones of the underwing explains the name.
But what about the origins of the rest of its name?
A close-up view of the fritillary’s chequered wing patterning provides the clue, as it is said they look like the ornately carved shakers Ancient Romans used for playing dice games.
Known as fritilli, the boxes were decorated with intricate lattice-work so that the dice could be seen being shaken to rule out any suggestion of cheating.
Watching fritillaries on the wing and you know your lucky numbers have come up.
Scanning the heavens reaps handsome rewards all year round