Butterfly in Winter

The relatively mild winter is giving me all sorts of surprises. Today a yellow admiral butterfly came to the Viburnum bush for nectar. It was a bit battered, but otherwise fine. They are more usual in my garden from November to March.

The two big Viburnum tinus bushes are flowering later than usual. They have masses of buds and nectar-filled flowers, but there are very few insects to feed on them. Mostly there are 6 or 8 drone flies that spend as much time fighting among themselves as feeding, as though there is not enough nectar to go round.