Hard to believe that on the 28th February 2018 we were starting to feel the grip of the Beast from the East, but on 28th February 2019 we were celebrating the warmest February on record! And then in 2020 it was the wettest February on record.
That warm weather of 2019 brought out a variety of flowers and insects that we wouldn’t really expect until late March – depending, of course, on the weather.
Butterflies may overwinter as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis or adults, depending on species. It is only those that overwinter as adults that appear early in spring.
The February heatwave certainly brought out peacocks (top photo) and small tortoiseshells (above).
Bright orange comma butterflies have become more common in west Wales in recent years.
It seems that a few red admirals may overwinter in Britain, so they are a possibility. Most red admirals, however, are migrants travelling north from the continent and north Africa, arriving later in spring.
Another possibility is the Brimstone – the original ‘butter’ fly because of the bright yellow underwings of the male. They are rare in Pembrokeshire, but more likely to be seen in south-eastern Carmarthenshire.
The Five Species Challenge 