Kitchen Garden Forum

Although the bees are really happy & quite a lot of them around I could count on 1 hand the number of butterflies I've seen this year! Even the naughty ones aren't showing despite all the different flowers I have on the plots & the brassica's to tempt them. What's it like in your area?

We had lots of Orange Tips early but almost nothing since including as you say even a lack of Cabbage White.

Things are a bit later up here, but Meadow Browns and Ringlets are in the fields, we had a Red Admiral in the garden before the rain came, but up here the Buddleia are not yet in bloom.

The difference between last year and this year is stark, last year we had up to 30 sunning themselves around the veggie beds, this year lucky to see one.

On our walk round the fields we saw good numbers of Ringlet butterflies, they feed on the long grass round the field edges, at least as many as last year I think.

Saw a cabbage white this morning, poor timing on it's behalf as it was big rain, which might explain why it was trying to get in the window. I did find it, (or another), this afternoon hiding under a leaf on the courgette/squash that has self seeded in a big pot down the back.

Had a wander through the forest in the shade, plenty of Common Blue Butterflies in the tracks and rides, possible Speckled Wood sighting too.

I thought there might be a few more butterflies about today, being a lot warmer, but no….maybe tomorrow!

I thought there might be a few more butterflies about today, being a lot warmer, but no….maybe tomorrow!

Warmer, what’s that OH. Just back from Wales and oh was it lovely to sit in the park with the sun beating down on you. Had forgotten what it was like it’s so miserable up here this year.

We have had Large White and Red Admiral butterflies in the garden, not many but the Buddleia has only just flowered