Butterflies

I’ve seen more butterflies in my garden this year than I’ve ever seen. A huge variety, too and what’s even better is seeing them in pairs. And I don’t even have any butterfly friendly plants as flowers don’t grown in my garden because of the shade. I nearly dug up some valerian that had self seeded in my front garden. Something I’d wanted it to do but it was growing sideways across the driveway and looked pretty dead anyway. But I saw a butterfly on it and gave it a reprieve. I must buy a buddleia for both the front and back gardens. Do you think this is a result of no mow May?

Yes. I’ve seen a lot this week as well. Plus a lot of moths on a night.

We have loads lately.

I ve had loads of butterflies in my garden this year baby blue cabbage white red admiral brimstone but… say this quietly ….very few snails and slugs…. I guess it’s lack of rain
I know which I prefer

We've had lots in our garden for about the last 3 or 4 weeks. In previous years there have just been the odd one or two.
After my father died his tiny garden got quite overgrown and I remember opening the back door and as I did, hundreds of yellow butterflies flew up from the ground.It was a long time ago now but I will always remember it and the feeling of peace it brought me

Yes, I’ve seen lots in the past few days.

Yes have seen a few. It’s encouraging that more and more people are interested in nature these days. We went to an RSPB bird hide this morning and were pleased to see quite a few young people there. If we all do our bit to help then nature will recover.

I’ve encouraged a patch of wild flowers, seen quite a few butterflies & bees 😊

A few butterflies are on the lavender, along with a lot of bees.

They ignored the buddleia (aka butterfly bush).

We are the same it is delightful - peacocks, Red admirals various white, holly blue, tortoishell and I think a speckled wood,

We have also a massive amount of hover flies and ordinary flies.

Birds must be pleased.

Yes I’m the same, lots of Small blue and High Brown Fritillary,
Not so many Peacocks or Painted Lady.
Huge amounts of ladybirds. All great signs.

I’ve seen a buddleia totally covered in Peacocks. It was an amazing sight. Once in a churchyard in Cornwall and once down by the canal.

There is masses of purple emperors just up the road at Knepp .

Lots of beautiful butterflies on my buddleia. Going to do the Big Butterfly Count tomorrow!

I wouldn't say I've seen lots but they are certainly around.

More than for a few years and my first ever speckled wood. Other wise cabbage whites and red admirals.

Butterflies and so many ladybirds. Enjoying watching them all.

This post is reflecting what is happening in my garden. Last autumn I planted our main bed with bee and butterfly attracting perennials, plus some dwarf buddleia. There has been a conspicuous absence of butterflies until this week.

The dreaded white butterflies were about in profusion today including one in the greenhouse where we have young cabbage plants. Have to look out for caterpillars.

Seen quite a few pretty ones as well but not so many as usual.

I had not seen a ladybird in our garden for a few years until yesterday and there one was, on the lily.
We've had several species of butterfly this summer but no peacocks which are usually prevalent in this area.
I had to look one butterfly up as I was unfamiliar with it, a meadow brown.

Unlike my last garden thus small one has never had many butterflies or bees even though I have alot of flowers. This year I've seen more. I've bought a little buddleia as they were a butterfly magnet in our last garden. Fingers crossed it works.

Part of our garden is planted specifically for butterflies and bees. We always get quite a lot of butterflies but numbers vary year to year in line with national trends. This year is a good year, we've had ten or eleven different species. Gatekeepers are having a very good year, I've never seen so many. The little Brown Argus butterflies on the marjoram are my favourites.

Anyone thinking of planting a buddlia might like to note that they prefer the common purple one, the fancy white or pink ones are not so favoured.

There is an abundance of butterflies and bees here actually more than usual. We have buddlia front and back gardens we have never seen so many all at once on white and purple varieties.

Got this lovely garden and still got very few butterflies and bees. It’s so sad when I think back into the 60s I couldn’t move a butterflies and bees and now when you spot one it makes you feel really really good but at the same time it makes me feel really really bad because of what is humanity done to The wildlife and not just butterflies and bees n😠😓