A snippet in The Irish Times (October 6th) reminded me of a sighting of an unusually small butterfly in my garden around that time. The reference in the newspaper was to the South African geranium bronze butterfly which was found to be breeding in a Sussex garden. The 2 cm wingspan of the butterfly mentioned matched that of the one I saw which was light brown in colour. Could it be that one found its way here on the warm, southerly breezes of recent weeks? Richard Fennessy, Rathfarnham, Dublin, 16.
Your butterfly is more likely to be one of the small Irish species, either the small heath or the small copper, probably the male small heath.
Edited by Michael Viney, who welcomes observations sent to him at Thallabawn, Carrowniskey PO, Westport, Co Mayo. e-mail : viney@anu.ie