Note: Despite my good intentions, I have realised over the last two or three years that I cannot keep up with posting details and photos of all my various butterfly-hunting excursions, especially during the summer months. I have therefore decided to just post highlights of my trips - hence the new page title - leaving out many of the less interesting destinations and the more common butterflies. 

17th: After a very cold first 12 days of the month, the daytime temperatures are now a little higher (7-9°C) and on my local walk today I came across my first butterfly of the year - a Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae). Here is the location (photo). The butterfly was struggling to get out of the long, dry grass but, before I could lift my camera, it freed itself and then flew off down the hill and out of sight. So - no photo at all!
19th: Weather cold again with snow and rain. No butterflies.
13th: A very warm day today so I went out for an afternoon walk on my local hill. 6 butterflies seen  - 1 Small Tortoiseshell in a nearby vineyard (photo), 3 Large Tortoiseshells going up the gravel path (1 photo here) and 2 unknown butterflies which flew above my head just a couple of minutes from home. (Either Red Admirals or Large Tortoiseshells judging from their size and flight, but as the sun was behind them I couldn't see their colours)
25th: A few very warm days with temperatures going from 3°C up to 17°C. A couple of short walks brought sightings of 5 or 6 commas (photo), several Large Toroiseshells, a few Brimstones, this Small (?) White (photo), a Red Admiral, a Small Tortoiseshell, a Peacock (photo) and a Speckled Wood (photo) - all of which were seen in or near the local vineyards.
1st - 6th: We have treated ourselves to an organised trip to Jordan. Very lucky to get here at all with the geo-political chaos all around us, but everything very tranquil in Jordan itself. Travelled around a lot - to the Dead Sea and the River Jordan, then to Jerash 40km or so to the north of Amman and then over 300km south to the desert of Wadi Rum before returning via the Dead Sea to Amman. I was a little disappointed at the lack of butterflies around. I know it is early in the year and the wrong season for most of the species I have never seen before. However, in the Roman archeological site near Jerash (photo), as well as a single Painted Lady,  there were lots of different whites on the wing. Here is a Bath white (photo), a Green-striped White (photo) and a Dappled White of some kind (photo) (Eastern or Western - I have no idea). Near the River Jordan I caught a glimpse of a small Lycaenidae, but didn't get near enough to see it properly before it disappeared and in the desert there was another clearly blue Lycaenidae, but again it wasn't possible to get a photo or a clear view.