There were several White butterflies in the garden late this morning - I don't get very excited about the Large and Small Whites. I do get excited about another visitor who flew in at lunchtime - a Hummingbird Hawkmoth; this one visited two patches of Red Valerian. They are a real delight to watch but even with a charged camera in hand, pose an almost impossible challenge to photograph.

Someone has commented that they have seen very few butterflies this year and questions whether I have found the same. Here are my thoughts: May was colder than normal (see the BBC weather website) and consequently, the garden bedding plants were behind, which may affect butterfly sightings. Also the cold weather may slow the emergence of the butterflies too. Thinking about this, I realised that I hadn't yet seen a Meadow Brown butterfly but I note that last year I saw the first one on 19 June; therefore I expect to see one soon! Perhaps we could use the Meadow Brown butterfly as a marker? Butterflies need warm, sunny weather and the recent grey, overcast skies have meant that I haven't seen anything exciting in the last few days (until today's Hummingbird Hawkmoth). I must add that June is not the month to stay at home in your garden; get out into the countryside because that's where the butterflies are this month. Pop into your local Tourist Information Centre and find out what events your local Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation Branch and other nature groups have organised. I'm crossing my fingers for good weather tomorrow when I hope to visit a Gloucestershire nature reserve...