Card no 456 - Monica
Small Tortoiseshell
Country Card Sent From: Sweden
Place that Card Sender Lives: Borås
Date Received: 26th March 2013
Distance Travelled: 695 miles
Time Taken: 7 days
Sadly the Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is very much in decline in Britain. When I was young it was the most common butterfly to be seen in the gardens of Merseyside. In the last ten years we haven't seen a single one in our garden. To quote from http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/ it "is one of our most-familiar butterflies, appearing in gardens throughout the British Isles. Unfortunately, this butterfly has suffered a worrying decline, especially in the south, over the last few years. This butterfly has always fluctuated in numbers, but the cause of the most-recent decline is not yet known, although various theories have been proposed. One is the increasing presence of a particular parasitic fly, Sturmia bella, due to global warming - this species being common on the continent."
These were the stamps - small boats (they look like tugs) and a Golden Oriole.
The frank missed the stamps. I have decided some franks are so attractive they are worth including. It says Happy Easter which was also the wish sent to our family.
