Written by John F. Burton in Germany, who knew and worked with Maxwell Knight:

Thank you very much for your kind email and your inspiring internet (FFON) piece, which we enjoyed reading. Here in Germany, we do watch a lot from our windows (passing White Storks, Grey Herons, Cormorants, Buzzards, Sparrowhawks, Goshawks, Jays, etc.) and at what visits our south-facing balcony (Black Redstarts, Collared Doves, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Hawfinches, etc., at the balcony bird-table). Red Mason Bees, Violet Carpenter Bees and Grass-carrying Sphecid Wasps are breeding in my ‘insect hotels.

We’re also able to go for walks in the nearby Hardtwald Forest where we rarely encounter anyone else, as we did this morning, seeing plenty of Orange Tips, Green-veined Whites, Brimstones, Commas and the occasional Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. Orange Tips were on the wing and I took several photos of a courting pair.

Orange Tip butterflies

Many wild plants are flowering early because of this fine spring, such as Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) and Meadow Sage (Salvia pratensis).

The forest paths were much dug-up by rooting Wild Boar!

Written by John F. Burton in Germany, who knew and worked with Maxwell Knight: