Episode 2.74 - Firethorn Butterflies and Heatwave Heartbreak

Send us Fan Mail On a breezy, sunny late-May morning at High Ash Farm, Chris Skinner rejoices in an extraordinary influx of Painted Lady butterflies drawn to the pyracantha (firethorn) bushes around his house. He explains this “eruption” — a mass arrival from southern Europe fleeing extreme heat and nectar shortages — turning the thorny evergreens into a fluttering feast for these powerful migrants. The pair also enjoy green hairstreaks dancing along the long new hedgerow, their iridescent gr...