Where are the butterflies?

[Potatohead]

Had lots of ‘later than usual’ butterflies in our garden over the past few weeks in surrey.

 

[Disabled Preppers]

Well i am so glad more people are trying to plant the plants our bee's and moths and butterflies need not to mention the other little bugs .
We have been planting lots of the old primroses because they look lovely under the silver birches and come on well after the wild garlic and other ground cover .
When we moved here we had to drive past where the JLR plant was being built and the service roads and i was so angree i watched a land grader just munch a whole sloping bank of wild primroses up and then pull it to the bottom and then in to dump trucks that ot ne is terrible .

As to the catapillars i only know of one and he was Cilly was a catapillar Cilly was my friend lol , the rest i am sure you all know

 

[Toddy]

Isn't evolution wonderful ?

Looking at that wee beastie, it's whole being is screaming, "I am not edible!! "

 

[Kadushu]

I think you are 100% right. Uncle Google agrees.

What tree did you find it on/under?

Acer platanoides, so very similar to a sycamore.

 

[mikehill]

I’m planning out my garden at the moment. I’d like one half at the bottom to attract bees and butterflies.
What would you recommend to plant ? I don’t want anything growing higher than around 2 metres as I have plenty of trees just behind.
The plot would be around 6m x 3m

 

[Pattree]

Sorry if I’m rehearsing the obvious:

Will you be planting food plants for larvae as well as nectar bearers for the adults?

I don’t think you’ll want nettles in there (mine are only about a 1.5M this year.)

 

[mikehill]

Happy to do both as long as it doesn’t look too untidy. My garden isn’t big enough for an untidy patch away from the house

 

[Pattree]

I wonder whether THIS is useful?

Check out moths as well. I couldn’t list all the ones that we get.

 

[Pattree]

Guess who is cultivating Tineola bisselliella (Common clothes moth).

Guess whose merino wool base layer is in the freezer!!!!!!!!

Still not seen a peacock butterfly to be certain this year.

 

[mikehill]

Plenty of Peacocks here in Warrington

 

[Toddy]

I’m planning out my garden at the moment. I’d like one half at the bottom to attract bees and butterflies.
What would you recommend to plant ? I don’t want anything growing higher than around 2 metres as I have plenty of trees just behind.
The plot would be around 6m x 3m

Evening primroses and St.John's wort. Foxgloves, lemon balm (melissa) and of all things, Tansy. It does not smell good, but the hoverflies, etc., absolutely love it. Definitely back of the border for that one.
All of those are really easy to grow and easy to cut back and tidy away too.

 

[Broch]

We have large areas of scrub in our 'wildlife garden' and things like bramble have pollinators on them from the first blossom in spring and then in autumn all manner of invertebrates feeding off the over-ripe fruit. Elsewhere in the rough grass we have knapweed which attracts butterflies throughout its long flowering season.

However, you probably don't want bramble and knapweed in a garden - so we have marjoram and cat mint around the house and they are covered in butterflies, bees, hoverflies and more. We also have an escallonia against a wall that is a real draw to Red Admiral and a berberis darwinni that is covered in bumble bees early in the year. The latter two, being shrubs, you will have to prune to keep the height down eventually.

Gatekeeper on Bramble


Common Blue on Knapweed


Small Tortoiseshell on Marjoram


Red Admiral on Escallonia

 

[mikehill]

Thanks Anything that can be pruned without harming would be great. Does Buddleia fall into that category ?

 

[Pattree]

Very much so.
Cut right back to main stems after flowering (here in Midlands.

It’s a butterfly feeder. The caterpillars will have fed elsewhere

 

[slowworm]

I love Buddleja and they can be cut hard back and pruned during the summer but they can be a bit rampant and scruffy. We grow quite a few and they are certainly loved by butterflies and moths, as well as bees and other insects. The orange ball Buddlejas are also good, later to flower but ours are covered in large bumble bees at this time of year (I assume they are the new queens fattening themselves up for winter).

Something we have that's also covered in bees, honey and bumbles, at this time of year is snowberry, Symphoricarpos, quite a plain looking plant but flowers for a few months in late summer/early autumn so very useful.

Both would be regarded as invasive though.

 

[Stew]

I’m loving my globe artichoke as a great bit bee attractor! Good and tall with a colour that looks great too.

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www.instagram.com

Sunflowers are covered with bees at the minute too.

 

[mikehill]

A report from the BBC HERE

We have had a mad surge of Red Admirals this last week !

 

[Wander]

There's been a noticeable increase in Red Admirals across the country.
A couple of weeks ago I read something that said the increase is due to the abnormally high temperatures on mainland Europe as the Red Admirals become another climate migrant trying to escape the hot weather.

 

[Toddy]

There's been a noticeable increase in Red Admirals across the country.
A couple of weeks ago I read something that said the increase is due to the abnormally high temperatures on mainland Europe as the Red Admirals become another climate migrant trying to escape the hot weather.

Funny you should say that; I spotted two on our ivy covered fence yesterday, and the news has this article today too.

UK butterfly numbers at highest level since 2019

But scientists warn that some species could decline in the long term due to habitat loss.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[TLM]

Redadmiral is a migrating butterfly, we have them here after suitable southern winds but it does not winter here. It is apparently unknown if some move back.