Why red admiral likes to take in the sun

I WAS working down at the bottom of the garden the other day, converting a fallen tree into logs for the fire. It was one of those pet November days, hardly a breath of wind, and enough sun to make me take my jacket off.

I was enjoying a break in the strenuous labour, and admiring how the sunshine was accentuating the dusky yellow of the autumn leaves on a hazel, when one, large leaf abruptly changed colour. A magnificent, red admiral butterfly landed on it and opened its wings.

These days, we’re becoming more used to solar power. Our parking meters have photovoltaic panels on them and house roofs are growing solar water heaters. But nature has been collecting solar energy for a very long time.