second brood....

Another warm and humid day and the first of the holidays!!!!!
I went for a quickish tripette with my friends Josie and Linda to Oaken wood near Dunsfold, to look for Broad leaf helleborines , but we found lots more!
There were so many butterflies on the wing, Small skippers, Meadow browns, Gatekeepers, Marbled whites, Peacocks (at least 30), Brimstones (at least 30 ), Silver washed fritillaries, a single White admiral and about 30 at least of these stunning second brood Wood whites Leptidea sinapis.
The wood white is a rather rare butterfly and only found in a handful of places in southern England, Oaken Wood being one of them. It is smaller than most other white butterflies with more rounded wings with indistinct grey markings on the underwings.
I was really pleased to see so many there today as I found no first brood individuals at all when I looked in May.
This is a female, ovipositing on vetch....looks like next year might be a good year too weather permitting.
All in all a good few hours and we found the helleborines too.
As we were leaving we met a man who had just seen a female Purple Emperor.....think I will return in the next few days for a better look!