Butterflies

[ed_blackadder_1]

I have just been sat in the garden with a mug of coffee and managed to count 35 butterflies,  peacock, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, and small white,  and 4 different types of bees on my beautiful Budlea bush. Oh so peaceful and what a lovely sight.  Now I feel calm and ready for an evening at work.

[chickengrandma-2008]

We have a whole hedge of Budlea and just last Sunday there were so many butterflies of different kinds on it that hubby printed off a sheet of all the British butterflies and he and grandson were spotting the different kinds.  They've certainly appeared in the last week, in fact there was an article about them in todays paper.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Yes I had to go online and print off the pictures to identify them, up until last week we had only seen one butterfly in the garden a dredded cabbage white.  We have four Budlea in different areas of the garden ranging from a very pale lilac to my favourite the Dark Knight one that is the darkest purple.

[bitsnknots]

We've had loads of butterflies over the last few weeks.  We've mainly had cabbage whites and red admirals.

[**towery**]

ive only really seen  cabbage whites this year

there wer a few  peacocks really early in the year then a huge gap

there have been very few bees around here too

ive some caterpillar - probably a moth eating away at some plants at the front

[guardpig]

We seem to be having a run on fluorescent yellow ones this year - as well as the cabbage whites looking in vain for a cabbage

[**towery**]

we used to get little blue ones out the back until they re felts the roof and got rid of the ivy growing there

used to see lots more dragonflies too

did see one the other day down the road, but thats the 1st this year

[rose2008-2008]

Butterflies are beautiful. I do not see many where i live now but where i used to live i think it was a buddlia Tree in the garden next door and it hung over our lawn. there would be lots of Butterflies and they would sit on my hand sometimes. I have not seen many lately . awwww beautiful  

[brynteg11]

We've had quite a few butterflies and a lot of cinnabar moths which I haven't noticed here before. They lay their eggs on ragwort so are getting scarcer as the weed is cleared but there is a disused caravan park behind up and I expect it is growing well there and attracting the moths.

[brynteg11]

Just come across this - still a few days left to take part

http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/about   (safe link)

[petitecalicocat]

Butterflies are lovely except the ones we get mostly are cabbage whites that eat my veg 

Bees we get loads of  in fact ive sen more this year than weve had before , maybe its my lavender & cat mint plants 

[captainbovine]

I love bees, they're real cute.

We've had red admirals and cabbage whites, and I've seen the blue one too but that's all.

I think down south you see a better variety.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Thanks for the link might do that this afternoon, whats the betting I shall sit there for 15 minutes and not see a thing, worth a try though.

[brynteg11]

I know what you mean, MIL was here yesterday and I was telling her about the cinnabar moths, went into the garden and not one would settle on the plants although I could one or two flying around. Other days they have been settling everywhere including on me!

[chickengrandma-2008]

My grandson said to me, 'Look there, that's a Comma, they're very rare'  then we saw another two.  Not that rare then!  lol

[ed_blackadder_1]

Saw the comma butterfly this morning had to look it up, according to tinternet it is very common in the south, I dont recall seeing it in my garden before, maybe its because we have the others there,  also seen whilst walking the dogs last evening I saw a meadow brown and a small tortoiseshell, and in the hedge by the river we saw 3 gatekeeper butterflies, we have got a little book that we have been writing them down and I took my little camera out with me this morning to take photos, over the last 4 or 5 years we haven't seen many butterflies but this year and especially in the last week or so we have seen a lot.  Not seen the red one though.

[brynteg11]

I think the moth I keep seeing is actually a 6 spot burnet moth. (not my photo)

[merc1_clocks]

She's beautiful brynteg...

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me