A slow start, but the weather certainly picked up today and by the end came very close to resembling a proper spring day. It was cool, but close to mild; the rain more or less held off (just a few spots), and the insect life seems to have arrived. These are all from the garden where we spent some time cutting back some of the bushes and thinning out some overhanging branches from the trees.
If the egg comes before the chicken (and it does, believe me), then the caterpillar has to come before the butterfly. I'm not great at identifying these, but it's possibly a speckled wood (and quite possibly something else entirely!).
Now this is a bit easier, it's a comma butterfly in the 'butterfly' stage. So much easier to identify the adults. 😉
I also spotted a small tortoiseshell butterfly, but was too far away to get a usable photo. The same applies to a sparrowhawk, which I saw fly over the garden a couple of times during the day. Good to see them around again.
Easier to capture were the pigeons, both feral…
… and woodpigeon.
Back down on the ground, a few bees were around as were a small number of wasps.
There were several newts lurking in the piles of leaves at the base of the ivy (no photos), and while I watched in hope for a fox to put in an appearance I had to make do with one of the local cats. 
The forecast for the next few days doesn't look too bad. We're not exactly heading for a heatwave, but it does seem that the bitterly cold weather is finally over.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM except the caterpillar which was taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens .
derWandersmann
15 Apr 2013My favourite is the bug on the leaf. It's not a familiar one to me.
And that's a very nice cat.
gdare
18 Apr 2013Cat out on the green grass is a sure sign of spring :yes:
Words
19 Apr 2013Darko, it looks like spring at least. It still doesn't really feel like it though. :smurf:
Words
19 Apr 2013dW, that bug is a common wasp. Not the friendliest insect in the garden, but quite early it seems. Hopefully it doesn't presage large numbers in autumn.
derWandersmann
19 Apr 2013Ah … I see … the pattern seems to have quite a bit of variability. I can't ever recall seeing anything like them over here … we call a wasp-like insect a yellowjacket … they seem mostly interested in sugars, and can be a real pest to picnickers. Otherwise, they can be annoying, but it's tolerable, and they offer no hostility.
Words
20 Apr 2013dW, at this time of the year wasps tend to keep to themselves, but they can be quite aggressive in autumn and they have a nasty sting.
SittingFox
20 Apr 2013That woodpigeon looks like it's about to crash! But they always stay airbourne somehow.
Words
24 Apr 2013Adele, it had just taken off for a short dash to the next tree. They do look ungainly though until they get some speed up.