The usual amount of butterflies up here ..... peacocks, small tortoiseshells, red admirals, commas and the usual whites .... we don't get the blue ones. We had a dry spring, but we've had rain when we've needed it during the summer, so that might explain why we're Ok for butterflies.
We tend to see more in August and September, especially on the sedums.
Bee x
Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Really poor both in terms of numbers and species diversity here in my part of Notts, sadly. The only two species which are absolutely thriving are Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, they seem to be everywhere I go! Had a similar thing happen with Holly Blues last year locally. I am changing my approach and will grow the most successful plants (Purple Loosestrife, Eryngium 'Blaukappe' and Hemp Agrimony) in large drifts next year rather than a diversity of plants, I think. Only positives were getting the first Ringlet ever in my garden (on my Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve') and having a third Small Copper visit, they always go for the Hemp Agrimony.
I see them feeding on quite cloudy days more nowadays which never seemed to happen in previous years, they seem desperate to me. We seem to have had the worst combinations of weather for them this year locally as sunny days are too windy and still days are mostly cloudy!
Certainly in the wilded areas I have visited this year in the Highlands and Norfolk there have been clouds of butterflies. I'm going to KNepp and weekend. I will ask them what their summer numbers have been like. The 40oC has been hard for insects but hopefully the rest of the warm and sunny weather will be in their favour.
As noted up thread, butterfly sightings can be radically different one block over.
Thanks for your comments everyone, Flutters in the Borders and Notts but still none in my lovely garden or the surrounding countryside. My garden is in full bloom and the Bees are getting plump with no competition from the flutters.
Very good day for butterflies. As well as Red admiral and umpteen cabbage whites, I saw a Holly blue and a small unidentified brown/orange one, which would not cooperate with ID. I identified the Holly blue by its underwing markings. Was lovely to watch it.
We have had brimstone, small blues, large and small white, comma, peacock, red admiral, gate keeper, meadow browns, speckled woods just in the last week. They were very few some weeks ago but more are coming and the bees....brilliant numbers of all sorts.
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We had a dry spring, but we've had rain when we've needed it during the summer, so that might explain why we're Ok for butterflies.
We tend to see more in August and September, especially on the sedums.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
I see them feeding on quite cloudy days more nowadays which never seemed to happen in previous years, they seem desperate to me. We seem to have had the worst combinations of weather for them this year locally as sunny days are too windy and still days are mostly cloudy!
I identified the Holly blue by its underwing markings.
Was lovely to watch it.
It is the caterpillar of the Eyed Hawkmoth.