Butterflies

[sincerity]

Last year, I estimated that there were in excess of 150 butterflies at one time on my buddleia bush. I counted 55 peacock butterflies but there were almost equal numbers of both tortoishell and red admiral types. I generally see these butterflies regularly but I also see 'speckled woods' darting around the ground level flowers/ grasses. For the first time last year I saw one 'painted lady'; this year another first - a 'comma' on the now greatly pruned buddleia. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing a bird/ creature/ insect that I have never seen before. I hope that these populations continue to thrive, although after a wash-out summer, I am sure they are up against it.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Sinserity, they are large numbers to be having in your garden.
Nice for you to be getting some of the less common ones, too.

[alan refail]

I fear that up in NW Wales all butterflies are in very short supply indeed this year, even on all the buddleias. Also no sign of painted lady catterpillars on the nettles either. It's been a miserable summer here too, but there were many more butterflies in the past three summers, which were also washouts.

[Parsons Jack]

We've done well for Peacocks and Red Admirals, but not so many Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady this year. We also get the occasional Speckled Wood and we've had one Comma so far this year

Also loads of Gatekeepers on the Oregano

[Nature's Babe]

Much the same as PJ's observations here, not surprising as we are quite close. A wide range of bees, bumbles and hoverflies too, and beeflies.

[glallotments]

Hardly any butterflies on our buddleias either or anywhere else either in the garden or on the allotment.

We have seen the odd peacock and red admiral and a few gatekeepers. Even the whites have been less than abundant.

I hope numbers recover although maybe not the whites!

[Monika]

Very similar to PJ's experience here: quite a number of red admiral, peacock, a few small tortoiseshell and speckled wood, one or two commas (no painted ladies this year), a lot of ringlets on the grassland in front of our house but very very few other meadow butterflies this year, like small copper, large and small skipper, small heath, common blue and even meadow brown which are usually very numerous. I don't think the reason would be the very low winter temperatures in December/January but the prolonged snow cover later probably did not help.

Let's hope they will recover.

[Marigold]

We have seen very few butterflies this year; it is our first full year here so maybe that is the norm?

Two Red Admiral hibernated in the spare room, emerging a few times. The last time was when the sun was warm and they were in such poor state we gently took them from the window were they were trying to get outside to the winter flowering heather with some sugar water.

Today have seen a Red Admiral on the Sweet William.

[Colin Miles]

I think we are all forgetting what a marvellous year it was for Orange Tips in the Spring. Wherever I went in England, Wales and Scotland there were myriads of them. But since then very few butterflies - even the Large White has been scarce which has been good for cabbages until the last week when I have been picking them off for the first time this year.

[Monika]

We have had a real butterfly bonanza the last few days: just in our garden there were 7 red admiral, 12 small tortoiseshell, two peacock, two comma and one small white, mostly on michaelmas daisies and ivy flowers. Today the numbers were smaller because of the quite cold northwesterly breeze, but it's still great to see them so late in the season.

[Parsons Jack]

Still lots of Red Admirals around here, but nothing else. Nice to see them so late though

[glallotments]

we seem to be getting late red admirals too

[Nature's Babe]

Late red admirals here too, one on my grape vine let me get quite close, it was a beauty.

[Nature's Babe]

Late red admirals here too, one on my grape vine let me get quite close, it was a beauty.

[PLUMPUDDING]

We've had lots of possibly drunk Red Admirals for the past couple of weeks feasting on all the windfall apples and pears. There are also Small tortoishells, commas and speckled woods and last week there was a Painted Lady on the Red Valerian, so quite a good end to the season.