Wasp’s nest provides a sting in the tale as summer ends

The most outstanding feature of this Irish summer — coming to an ‘official’ end this very day — has been the lack of winged insects.

Butterflies are a rarity, here in the southwest. There may be ‘pockets’ of lepidoptera life, but I have yet to find one.

The other afternoon — sunny for once — I walked through woods at Kilbrittain, a pretty, verdant village inland from Courtmacsherry Bay, West Cork, and had the thrill of spotting the first peacock butterfly I’ve seen this year.