"David Hill" wrote in message ...
".... I live close to you David only a few miles away. In fact I was
brought up literally down the road from where your nursery is now. ...."

You'll tell me next you remember when we were at Caer Hendy.

Its small brown butterflies that are everywhere here

I'd be interested to know what these are. 3 are a likely possibility.

Ringlet.
Dark chocolate brown with noticable yellow rings on the underside.
This often flies in dull weather. Iar Fach y Glaw (Rain butterfly) in
Welsh.

Meadow Brown lighter in colour more greyish underside no really
noticable spots.
The females have some orange on them.
(They are there but are absolutely tiny. A professor spent years
studying those spots.)

Hedge Brown also called a Gatekeeper. More noticeably orange on the
upperside.
Smaller than the other 2. I'd be very interested to know if this is
with you.
It's distribution on the other side of the hill has been very
interesting.

If they are very small they might be Small Heath which is rather light
brown. Thumnail size.

You are within half a mile of what was once one of the finest
butterfly sites in the whole of Wales. 28 of the 40ish Welsh species
bred there.
The whole of the old county of Glamorgan has about 34 species.

--
Neil Jones- http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn
Bog National Nature Reserve