A Painted Lady Summer?

 So there I was, in the supermarket car park, gazing happily at a tough-looking low-growing shrub covered with tiny white flowers (maybe a Contoneaster of some kind) – and there, drinking their fill of nectar, were three glorious Painted Lady butterflies, all in my field of vision at once. Some years that is as many as I see in a whole season, but this year we seem to be having a Painted Lady Summer – they are everywhere, even in town. Those three came on top of another half dozen or so I'd seen on my short walk to the supermarket, and there have been many more in the garden. I do love these butterflies, and have done since early childhood, when I first registered the extraordinary beauty of their intricately marked underwings, and marvelled at the journey they had made to get here. We now know that they fly not only from the Med but all the way from the desert fringes of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, making much of the journey at high altitude. And here they are this year, in glorious abundance. 
   Also this morning, just down the road from our house, I spotted a Hummingbird Hawk moth, feeding on red valerian. This little moth, which does give a very good impression of a hummingbird, has thrived wonderfully in recent years, even surviving the winter in many parts. 
  So there we are – at least two reasons to be cheerful. Also, the oppressive heat of the past couple of days has cooled down to a perfect early summer day (even though it's still spring).