What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?

[Matthew Pierce]

Hi Everyone,

I just joined this forum after lurking for a few weeks enjoying all your posts and pictures.

I've been trying to make my North London garden more butterfly-friendly over the last three years, mainly by letting most of the lawn grow long and by planting wildflowers. There is cover in the form of a well-established hedge (native species), a woodpile and a general lack of tidiness - ha ha.

Two species I'm hoping to attract are the common blue and the small copper. For the common blue caterpillars I have a fair amount of bird's foot trefoil and for the small copper, sorrel (and some sheep's sorrel now becoming established). For nectar I have wild marjoram, knapweed, yarrow, buddleia etc.

Please can you help with a question about this, namely, how likely is it that either species might find my garden? I saw a lone small copper here 15 years ago, but no more since then, and I have never seen a common blue here. However, both species occur at Alexandra Palace (a mile away) and in a small wildflower meadow near Arnos Park (1.5 miles).

I would be very grateful to hear your thoughts on this.

Many thanks, Matthew

[bugboy]

Sounds like you're off to a good start, both species would find a miles travel to disperse to a new site in the countryside a breeze. In your situation it may be problematic depending on how much 'concrete jungle' is between you and the known site but I would hazard an educated guess and say far from impossible

[Matthew Pierce]

Sounds like you're off to a good start, both species would find a miles travel to disperse to a new site in the countryside a breeze. In your situation it may be problematic depending on how much 'concrete jungle' is between you and the known site but I would hazard an educated guess and say far from impossible

Thanks Bugboy - I'm hoping they might find their way from Ally Pally along the railway embankment which runs right by me. From the other site there's a bit more 'concrete jungle' to contend with...

[David M]

These two would be tricky unless you lived near a wild, grassy area.

In the 8 years I've lived in such an area, I've only ever seen one Small Copper in the garden and have never seen a Common Blue.

Good luck all the same.

[Matthew Pierce]

Thanks David - I will live in hope and post here if anything turns up...

[Medard]

Seeing is believing.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com
I live in the centre of a village in mid Somerset, the villag is surrounded by open countryside,from time to time I get some surprising visitors that I would never have expected to see, the most recent one being a Female  Large Skipper, the nearest colony as far as I know is approximately four Kilometers distance, another unexpected guest was a Emperor Dragonfly, a Damselfly at a similar distance, a moth that was on my Dream list the Clifden Nonpareil (Catocala fraxini) always expect the unexpected, nature is full of surprises.
 Common blues and Small Coppers visit from time to time , it's worthwhile experimenting with wild flowers, if possible Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) Common Blue food plant I also find Lavender is a great attraction for a whole range of of insects. nature does some amazing things her wonders to perform.
Some of my visitors.

[Matthew Pierce]

Hi Medard,

Thanks for your encouraging words. Great photos as well - that moth is a stunner.

I've got a fair range of wildflowers e.g. bird's foot trefoil, sorrel, knapweed, yarrow and wild marjoram, and my neighbours have lots of lavender. So I hope any travelling butterflies might be drawn in.

Funnily enough, a marbled white flew through my garden a few days ago, the first I have ever seen in 25 years living here, so I guess that supports your main point. There's a colony of them a mile away and I suspect this one came along a railway embankment which has lots of rough grass and some wild flowers.

Cheers,

Matthew

[Medard]

Two more friends came to visit the garden yesterday.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com

[Matthew Pierce]

Two more friends came to visit the garden yesterday.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com

... Nice to see. I get very few small tortoiseshells in my garden - only three in total this year. I planted nettles to see if they would lay eggs on them. That hasn't happened yet, as far as I know, but a very tatty painted lady did lay eggs on the nettles in late May and the larvae seem to be doing OK - they are now about 8mm long.

Cheers,

Matthew

[Medard]

Rococo butterfly.
Our garden has once again proved that Lavender is a great attraction for butterfly species.
The Comma.
Polygonia c-album, this is a first in the garden of our retirement house.
My wife has just drawn to my attention to yet another visiter, a very difficult species to photograph.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com

[Matthew Pierce]

In my garden the commas seem to flash through fast overhead, rarely settling. The only flower I have seen them on is verbena; I haven't got any lavender.

I've never seen a hummingbird hawk moth here but I've just planted some red valerian which apparently they like - maybe next year...

Cheers,

Matthew

[Medard]

Yet another visitor to the garden yesterday 25-06-2022 , this one is a real beauty, a dark rich blue,

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/

Hi Matthew may I suggest that you invest in a few Lavender plants , they can be easily increased by means of cuttings, may be a local nursery / garden centre can help.

[ChrisStamp]

It really does depend on what habitats surround you.

I have Small Copper breeding in my garden, and also have Dark Green Fritillary nectaring regularly, and occasional visits from Green Hairstreak and others. But that's because there are wild populations nearby of course!

[Matthew Pierce]

may I suggest that you invest in a few Lavender plants , they can be easily increased by means of cuttings, may be a local nursery / garden centre can help.

Thanks for the suggestion - I'm pushed for space in my garden, but my immediate neighbours have large drifts of it, so it must help bring butterflies into my patch.

It really does depend on what habitats surround you.

I have Small Copper breeding in my garden

Hi Chris - small coppers are found a mile away from me with a railway from there to here - I'm hoping they might find their way along it. It's also possible they already exist on the embankments. What habitat and plant species attract them to your garden, do you think?

Cheers, Matthew

[Essex Bertie]

I think there's every chance, particularly if you have an old railway 'corridor' nearby. I've had 2 Common Blues in my suburban front garden over the years. They were both females, probably egglaying on Birdsfoot Trefoil. Both flew off soon after I'd spotted them. So their visits were only fleeting and I was fortunate with my timing

[Matthew Pierce]

Hi Bertie - That's encouraging, thanks. As you point out, it would be easy to miss a flying visit. I had my first ever marbled white in the garden recently (I've been here 25 years), which goes to show you never know what might show up.

Cheers,

Matthew

[Medard]

Despite the current cold and damp conditions nature struggles on, a new visitor to the Lavender patch.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com

[Medard]

Another welcome visitor to my garden, a fresh looking Scarlet Tiger Moth. Callimorpha dominula.

Scarlet Tiger Moth. Callimorpha dominula

Scarlet Tiger Moth. Callimorpha dominula

The first large white in the garden this year, once so common they now seems to be a rarity.
Small whites also seem to be missing although a very small number were see in spring of the year.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com

[Matthew Pierce]

Nice photos of the scarlet tiger - I've been looking out for them but so far I've just seen jersey tigers which have been around the last few years.

Cheers,

Matthew

[Matthew Pierce]

Exciting development today.

Looking down the garden, I saw a greyish looking small butterfly or moth flying about quite fast and low. Of course I nipped out to investigate. Whatever it was crossed into my neighbour’s garden and started nectaring on a verbena flower. From its underwing markings I could see it was a common blue, quite different from the holly blue which I see loads of here.

It came back into my garden, fluttering about over some long grass, eventually settling on a tall stem where I got a closer look at it. It was the first common blue I’ve seen in the 25 years I’ve been here. I think it was a male as it lacked any of the brown colouration a female would probably have. Didn't get a picture unfortunately.

I was well chuffed and will be looking out for more now…

Funnily enough, I discovered another colony recently, a mile away towards Tottenham, on an old bowling green where they have been creating a wildflower meadow. There are good numbers of common blues there this year, but so far I haven’t seen any at the other two nearby locations that I know of.

Cheers,

Matthew