Hexton Chalk Pit is more of a shallow bowl than a pit. The view across Bedfordshire is striking but the intricate tapestry of grass and flowers was my reason for going there today. Along with Knocking Hoe, the Pegsden Hills and the Barton Hills this is part of the ribbon of surviving chalk grassland along the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border.  

 Butterflies fluttered all around me, rising and falling with every step I took. One species was particularly prolific: the Chalk Hill Blue in its ideal habitat. 

 Here are the male and female of the species. The female Chalk Hill Blue is brown!