This weekend my Open University work took me to Essex so I took the opportunity to take a minor detour up to Norfolk to see Britain's largest and most exotic-looking butterfly, the swallowtail.
It seems I'd picked exactly the best day as there were plenty of swallowtails to see and they were all outstandingly fresh specimens.
This individual allowed me to get ridiculously close.
I also managed to get some slow-motion shots, although at a much lower resolution of course.
Travelling on to Essex I made another stop at Hockley Woods near Southend to see my first ever Heath Fritillaries.
These rare butterflies are dependent on new woodland clearings and almost became extinct when coppicing ceased to be a common way to manage woodlands.
As with most fritillaries the undersides of the wings are even more attractive than the uppersides.