I will look out for nibbled leaves on the currant plants this year. Regarding the Orange tips on Honesty - It must have seeded in preferable spots to the garlc mustard as I found ne eggs on that. Several of the eggs on Honesty were layed on the base of the petal - so doomed to fall off when the peta...

The plan is to combine the large veg garden with wildlife (specially butterflies and moths) and still get some some profit from the veg and cut flowers. Also a small field rented to farmer for grazing and haylage. Butterfies presently visiting: BRIMSTONE............... Planted Buckthorn in 3 sunny s...

Having only recently become aware of the real immense value of native plants I truely appreciate your efforts and am glad that when in my 'gardeny' years I never got control of any land!

What are the benefits oF a wild Crab apple tree over a domestic tree? are the cultivated garden crab apples any good? (I am asking as I have both of the above but not the native crab apple )

In relation to the Brown field/Green field observations, It would be interesting to know which of the 'green field' crops are the most destructive. If foraging winter birds can be taken as a kind of indication, then from the arable fields nearby me Carrots top the list. I doubt if even the margins t...

On several nettle patchs where there are normally tortishell caterpillars from july, I saw at quite a few nests in early july. 4 nests were just visable as tiny caterpillars inside the webb and another couple were a little bigger and venturing out of the web. Next time I lokked (few days later) ther...

Thanks for the reply. I suppose an unfindable place in which to become a Chrysilis is essential given they have to remain that way for such a long time! I'll have to keep keeping a 'daily eye' on this chrysilis just in case it hatches in the summer.

Thanks for giving this very interesting link. I particularly enjoyed where it gave another link (in the introduction) to the 'insecticidal' and deterrent properties of of the chemical responsible for the U.V. patterns.

Hello all, This year I found quite a few Orange tip caterpillars on the Honesty in my garden, and very much enjoyed watching them. However at the end of May the birds became very busy and one morning all but one had gone. I took the 'last survivor' indoors and it promptly became a Chrysalis! (22nd M...