In the eye of the beholder

A colder night has made all the difference, as usual, and yesterday's excellent congregation shrank to a couple of Hebrew Characters and a pair of Clouded Drabs in the eggboxes this morning. Having said that, one of the unfortunately-named Drabs was actually a rather lovely moth and I append a photo of it on my equally lovely left palm at the foot of this post.

More obvious beauty first, however, and we were beguiled back yesterday by the snakeshead fritillaries to Magdalen College water meadows, complete with infant dozing in buggy. Orange Tip butterflies were about and I managed to creep upon the one above and get its picture with - for me - only minimal blurring. It was very interesting watching this butterfly and another Orange Tip fluttering about for a very long time before finally alighting on some cow parsley. There were all manner of beautiful flowers in the gardens - daffs, anemones, bluebells, younameit - but none seemed to the Orange Tips' taste. It was like an extremely discriminating diner inspecting the hotel buffet of all time.

And secondly, another form of beauty. Quite often, I try to photograph the trap in action but usually with scant success because the mercury vapour lamp is so bright. This picture hasn't come out too badly, though, thanks to the magnolia tree above the spot I chose and the last glimmering of sunset.