red admiral

Down the bottom of our road, about 50 yards from our front door lies a patch of waste ground.  And on this waste ground there lies a huge budleia bush, covered in lilac-coloured flowers.

And just these last few days (I'm writing this on 20 September) we've had a bit of a late summer, with temperatures reaching the mid-twenties and clear blue skies overhead and this unseasonal outburst has brought out some butterflies, with Brimstones, Cabbage Whites and Common Blues a regular sight.  

Less so though the Red Admiral butterfly.  Now, in my childhood this particular butterfly was abundant, and you'd see hundreds over the summer.  Less so now unfortunately, but when you do see one, it makes for a lovely sight.

Fujifilm X-H2, Fujinon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 @ 400mm
1/90th of a second at f5.6, ISO 125
handheld

Fujifilm X-H2, Fujinon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 @ 400mm
1/200th of a second at f5.6, ISO 125
handheld