Kitchen Garden Forum

I've got 2 large buddleia's in the garden, both flowering profusely in the sunshine.
Over the last couple of days, I've seen 1 Peacock, 2 Red Admirals, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, and 1 Painted Lady.

Very sad state of affairs isn't it

Saw a few Painted Lady's over the beach on Monday, but not much else.

How is everybody else doing for butterflies?
Hope you're doing better than me!

There still seem to be plenty of Cabbage Whites about, but very few 'pretty' butterflies.

No it's a very poor year here too. Only the cabbage whites and gatekeepers are in reasonable numbers. We've had speckled wood, painted lady peacock small tortoishell, red admiral, meadow brown, small skipper and comma over the last few weeks but only individal butterflies. There are nowhere near the numbers we usually have. I grow all sorts of flowers that they like so it must b e the cold early summer that has upset them. There seem to be plenty of moths at night now we've had some warm nights though.

I've not seen any ladybirds for months either have you?

I so agree with everybody - it really has been quite dire. Our five buddleias have attracted small tortoiseshell, red admiral, painted lady, large white, mostly singletons, nothing like the more usual dozens. On the adjoining nature reserve we have seen some meadow brown, ringlet and speckled wood, but no common blue or any skippers. Moths are in short supply, too, but, to me, the most noticeable absence has been by the small insects. When did you last return from an evening drive and had your windscreen plastered with dead insects? This used to be the norm. I was talking to two of our allotment neighbours recently and they were both complaining about the lack of pollinators for the runner beans (even our own supposedly self-pollinating ones are not setting at all well!). Some of the broad beans were covered with flowers but only produced a few beans.

As I think I have mentioned before, we have no crop fields anywhere near us, just pasture and meadow, and no commercial fruit or vegetable growers, so there are not likely to be any insecticides being sprayed - but we still lack the insects.

What is going on?

Very poor numbers on lottie, but there is a field behind us but I've never seen him spray and looks like just fodder grass in this year. I grow lots of flowers on lottie but after the chive flowers went over most packed up & left.

Home however is getting quite a lot, especially since the hibiscus has come into flower but they were visiting the roses & clematis before that, just got the message out to the rest of the hive maybe & the pollen is easy to get at on the hibiscus.

Sad & worrying!
Westi

PLUMPUDDING wrote:I've not seen any ladybirds for months either have you?

I went for a walk along the wild bit alongside the beach yesterday, and said, oh look a ladybird!

Can't remember the last time I saw one

It's all very worrying isn't it.

Not seen many ladybirds but have found quite a bit of larvae. Bit late, but hopeful sign.

Westi

Those wretched thunder flies have suddenly appeared in their thousands in the last couple of hours...

Many fewer butterflies, even on the buddleias. Not seen a single ladybird this year. Fortunately plenty of bees and other pollinators.

They're back

After wild and wet weather it's a warm sunny day and the butterflies are back. What's left of the buddleia flowers have attracted Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Ladies and more species of bees that I could count. I think the relative absence round here has been due to the poor summer weather. There is virtually no pesticide use as almost all the land is grazing for cattle and sheep. There are a lot more grasshoppers than usual.

We have today seen all 'your' butterflies, Alan, as well as a wall brown, but still only singles or doubles. I remember that not so many years ago there would be at least 20 butterflies on a single buddleia bush. I suppose we have to be grateful for small mercies in that I picked a huge bag of calabrese today (the rain and warmth the last two days has really made them grow!) and only found one single large white caterpillar!

Not many butterflies, but have lots of baby ladybirds on the runner beans.

It's getting better by the day. I am counting butterflies in the dozens today. Judging by the number of smallish ones it looks like many are very recently emerged from their pupation. Happy days!

I've not seen many butterflys (although, I did go to the butterfly house the other day, 100's there ;p ), but my brassica's have seen lots of caterpillars... My entire 2 rows of sprouts have been decimated... Ah well, should have protected them with meshing...