Butterfly ball

For ancestral reasons, I spent part of yesterday at North West Leeds Liberals' summer garden party, where impudent people were flinging sucker-ended darts at political opponents - observe the hit on poor Gordon Brown in the pic to the right. Also there were these lovely butterflies, brought out by the sun. I have a colleague in London who is concerned about Small Tortoiseshell numbers this year; well here's one to add to his collection, along with a Ringlet - lovely simple colouring and 'eyes' - and a Comma.Meadow Browns and Speckled Woods were almost as abundant as the Liberals (who, in these very different days from the small but determined party of my youth, included the local MP, the leader of Leeds city council and the chair of our transport authority, Metro). And our buddleias aren't even out yet, although there were some in flower at the garden party. Joys to come.