NBA

No not that naff bouncy ball game played over the pond by tall dudes but another addition to my butterfly list - NORTHERN BROWN ARGUS doing the business on the cloudy slopes of Arnside Knott the North West's premier butterfly site.
I joined what seems to be a rather nice easy going clan of like minded people scouring this Cumbrian hillside (the lowest Marilyn in England) for the latest butterfly to brave this awful summer. Within minutes of leaving the car park I was in amongst the thick of it with butterflies everywhere even though the sun refused to shine.
I personally counted/id'd 10 species - NBA, DARK GREEN FRIT, SMALL PEARL BORDERED FRIT, MEADOW BROWN, GRAYLING, COMMON BLUE, LARGE SKIPPER, SMALL TORTOISESHELL, SPECKLED WOOD and SMALL HEATH...what a place.

 SMALL PEARL BORDERED FRITILLARY

DARK GREEN FRITILLARY

GRAYLING

AND THE NEW EDITION TO THE LIST

add to this a couple of mammals in the shape of WEASEL and SHORT-TAILED VOLE (seen up near Workington) plus a rather difficult to id dragonfly which turned out to be an 

immature male KEELED SKIMMER 

the day was better than an Attenborough nature programme.