Butterfly sheltering in the rain

I'm still not feeling great but have tried to be at my desk, and managed to speak to several people about various projects I am trying to move forward, if slowly. I made myself a lunch of a boiled egg on toast and some additional Shropshire Blue cheese which was delicious. Whilst sitting and eating I watched the birds coming to the feeders again although today it was raining quite hard. I did pick up my camera to grab a few shots, but missed a nuthatch that eyed me up through the window, before grabbing his seeds and flying away. I haven't seen much of them in the last week, whereas before that two pairs were around every few minutes.

When the rain stopped the sky brightened and few birds stood on branches to shake a tail feather which was very amusing. I particularly liked a dunnock who stood on a leg at a time and proceeded to primp and preen with gay abandon. A female blackbird arrived on the flowering clematis montana for a few moments and looked at me through the open door without appearing scared. /the it hopped down to the ground to eat up the scattered seed debris that the other birds had dropped from the hanging feeders. Some birds grab a seed and quickly fly away to consume privately, and safely, whereas the finches tend to sit on the feeder, bite into the husk and drop much of it on the ground. This is particularly helpful for the birds who can't land on the hanging feeders such as the dunnocks, blackbirds and robins, although the latter have now learnt to at least 'have a go' at perches provided by the feeders.

I went outside myself to stand in the weak sunshine which finally broke through. As i did so I saw a butterfly coming up the garden and landing on the clematis on the fence beside me. I couldn't get a better angle than this one because of the steep slopes involved and the lack of suitable perches at that moment. I don't know how to identify the butterfly but am always pleased to see them and moments like this I wish I had a dedicated macro lens.

Moments later the rain began to fall again in rather large droplets, which you can see in the picture. I thought the butterfly, which had opened its wings to absorb the heat from the sun would immediately fly away, but instead it just closed them up and stayed still. I didn't hang around to get wet so I don't know what happened next. Summer is coming so I'm sure there will be more of these beauties.

Do let me know if you think you can identify the insect. I expect it is very common.

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