Count

For the first time in decades I was stung by a wasp and it was not a sensation that I want to repeat anytime soon. By the end of the day it was settling into a dull throb. Given the amount of time I spend rummaging in the undergrowth for pictures of insects it’s probably surprising that it hasn’t happened more often.

I had headed down to the meadows and woods for my early afternoon walk, dodging rain showers along the way. My butterfly count for the day was in three figures, with ten species seen and double figures for Comma, Gatekeeper, Small Skipper, Ringlet and Meadow Brown. As I haven’t yet blipped a Gatekeeper this year, that is my selection for today’s main image (wings open in extra). The sting happened on my walk back up the hill.

Later, I headed up to Silsden again for some more pre-season football. Today’s visitors were Colne, who I’d never seen before and who play one tier up. 1-1 was the final score.