MOST of the butterflies in the brown family — the gatekeepers, the ringlets and the meadow browns — have now scattered their eggs among the grasses and died. The new generation will not be seen until next summer. However, one member of the family is still to be seen on moorland and in fields of long grass. This is the small heath butterfly, a pretty butterfly with tawny or orange wings edged with brown. These butterflies sometimes rise up in clouds as one walks through the grass, and settle ahead of one, only to fly up again as one gets nearer. They are less easily seen when they are clinging to a grass stem, since they always hold their wings closed. They take nectar from the yellow hawkbits, which are small dandelion-like flowers that are still in bloom in grassy places.
Another little butterfly that is still around in similar places is the small copper, which has black markings on shiny orange wings. But so far this year there has been a dearth of the large, beautiful butterflies that usually crowd on to the buddleia in the September sunshine — the peacocks and the small tortoiseshells.
DJM