Had loads last of butterflies and moths (and tons of caterpillars!) by this time last year - gatekeepers, both types of cabbage white, blues, cinnabars, mint moths, brimstone, rosy footman, peacock, dusky skipper etc. There were hundreds of caterpillars.
This year, in contrast, I have only seen one blue butterfly, one brimstone, and only one or two caterpillars. I haven't seen a single cabbage white caterpillar on my cabbages, whereas last year they were stripping the plants.
I wonder if the weather this year knocked them out, and I hope they manage to pick back up again next year.
Just been on a butterfly walk on a local common known for its abundance of species and numbers of butterflies. The weather didn't play ball and all we found were a few silver-studded blues.
This year’s first red admiral this afternoon but other than that just a few mint moths and holly blues. Even the white ones we were seeing a few weeks ago have disappeared. Plenty of bees and hoverflies though, thank goodness.
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This year, in contrast, I have only seen one blue butterfly, one brimstone, and only one or two caterpillars. I haven't seen a single cabbage white caterpillar on my cabbages, whereas last year they were stripping the plants.
I wonder if the weather this year knocked them out, and I hope they manage to pick back up again next year.