Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is one of the most common butterflies. It can be found all over Eurasia. This early spring moth survives the winter as a fully developed butterfly. It manage this by hibernating in sheltered places. Peoples housing is perfect and the survival rate is high with the help of leaking warmth. Even so it is rapidly declining in numbers.

Interesting name, butterfly. It is not very greasy but it can fly. Perhaps the male does some smooth talking when courting. Not only spreading its wings. In Swedish its called fjäril, a very gentle sounding word. For those of you that don’t speak Swedish I recommend to paste it into Google translate and listen. With my imagination it can be translated in “standoffish wind”.

Yellow and golden like the spring sun. The Cowslip (Primula veris) also called common cowslip. The English name does not make it justice but it is often found in ground where cows graze. Think I like the Swedish name Gullviva better. Could be translated into spring gold.

My wife call them keys of may (I don’t really have the heart to tell her that there is a completely different flower with that name) as they starts to bloom in the first days of may. They appear in plenty in the fields around our house. Ha de Gött!