It almost feels like Spring will never arrive this year, but there are still many signs to be found if you head outside at the moment  (but don’t forget your coat and brolley!).

Here at Denmark Farm we’ve seen plenty of orange tip butterflies in the sunny intervals.  The male is unmistakable, with stunning orange wing tips:

The female is less easy to identify as she lacks the orange wing tips – but have a look at the underside if you can as it’s unmistakeable:

This pretty little butterfly loves to feed and lay its eggs on cuckoo flower, which you may also spot on uncut roadside verges and damp ungrazed meadows at this time of year:

The appearance of the orange tip is one of the species used by Nature’s Calendar to monitor seasonal nature events.  The records they receive from the public help scientists to understand more about the response of the natural world to a changing climate. To take part, visit their website: www.naturescalendar.org.uk . No experience is necessary and there is lots of information to help you start recording the changing seasons in your area.

If you live in Ceredigion, or are visiting on holiday and would like to get involved in other wildlife activities,  we have plenty of  free events going on around the county with our ‘Wildlife Where you Live’ programme. ‘Like’ our Facebook page to keep up to date with events happening near you.

Photographs licenced for reuse under Creative Commons Licence:

Orange tip: © Copyright Andy Potter

Orange tip undersides © Copyright Andrew Curtis

Cuckoo flower © Copyright Pauline Eccles