What would summer be without butterflies? They are synonymous with sunshine. Universally admired insects that trick us into loving them with their seductive coloured wings and their habit of mostly being around when the sun's out and we're feeling good. There is something carefree and uplifting about their mad zigzag flight on a hot summer's day.



Like the flowers they feed on and pollinate, they are built, not to last, but to impress. They have just a few short days to mate, reproduce, feed, dance around wildly or bask in the sun - truly hedonists on wings.



This small collection of images shows many of the commonest butterflies in Britain, with some less common, like the Adonis and the once extinct Large Blue. Twenty-six species in all. Few, but it does represent almost half the native UK list.



They were taken over a seven year period, mainly in southern England and represent many hours of pleasurable photography, which necessarily involves just a little frustration.



These are the ones that didn't fly away and I thank them for it.