Pic 1: What better way to welcome the Spring than managing to capture this pair of Small Tortoiseshells. Taken in Porthkerry Park, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan on 8.3.2014. Natural light with Canon 40D and 100mm macro.

Pic 4 & 5: This fertilised female was captured in the process of laying her eggs. As with most butterflies – and especially those that lay large batches of eggs – great care is taken to choose the ideal plant. Common and Small Nettle are both used, for the Small Tortoiseshell has a strong preference for laying eggs on young, tender plants that are growing in full sunshine on the edge of large nettle beds.

Butterfly Conservation – Small Tortoiseshell