Despite being promised blizzards we have a light covering of snow, sans gales. In fact the winter sun must have woken a hibernating peacock butterfly. Best Beloved found it flapping about in the barn. Apparently they do sometimes wake early but they go back to their hibernation if you put them somewhere cool and quiet.

http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/2007/asp/species.asp?vernacular=Peacock

Our barn swarms with beautiful peacock butterflies in summer but I didn't know they hibernated in there as well. I always feel so sorry for them because they never seem to be able to find their way out into the garden. Apparently they live on nettles and we're gradually reducing the amount of those in the garden. Maybe we should leave a patch for the butterflies... though there are plenty in the farm field just over the wall.