Your gardens

[Pete Eeles]

Well - one thing that might cause a diversion ... I think the website needs to start including shots of larval foodplants. It currently references an external website and I'd much prefer to have habitat and foodplant shots "within" the UKB site.

So - although I won't get around to it until the season is over - it might be worth "sowing the seed" now (pun intended)

There's so much experience on flora within the UKB membership, that we really should capitalise on this! And BC are always looking for photos on all manner of subject!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Susie]

Do you want picture of the larvae on the food plant or just of the food plant, Pete?

[Pete Eeles]

Just the foodplant Susie. It would be good to show:

- foodplants at different stages of development (this might help with ID) ... such as Blackthorn or Sallow flowers, which are quite distinctive!
- different aspects of the foodplant (close ups) - such as flowers, leaves, etc.

The foodplants are listed at http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/foodplants.php

Cheers,

- Pete

[Dave McCormick]

Hi Pete, if you want some foodplant images, I have a few if you'd like them:

Snowberry
StoneCrop
Strawberry
Nettles
Primrose
Polpars
Hop
Foxglove (at different stages)
Cuckooflower
Dog-Violet
Cherry
Bramble

just some I think I know I have, I have closeups of the plants and shots showing the whole plant if this helps.

Oh, and I'd post my garden here if I had a good one, cince we keep our dog in it quite a lot, we only have a little bit of garden free, so its not up to much

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Dave - yes, please send them through! Although I'm primarily interested in those foodplants used by British butterflies.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Susie]

Oh, and I'd post my garden here if I had a good one, cince we keep our dog in it quite a lot, we only have a little bit of garden free, so its not up to much

If there is one thing I have discovered about butterflies, it is that they like a bit of poo for breakfast! Maybe not a larval food plant but certainly an adult butterfly's feast. Ewwww!

[Dave McCormick]

Oh, and I'd post my garden here if I had a good one, cince we keep our dog in it quite a lot, we only have a little bit of garden free, so its not up to much

If there is one thing I have discovered about butterflies, it is that they like a bit of poo for breakfast! Maybe not a larval food plant but certainly an adult butterfly's feast. Ewwww!

Ewww, yeah I saw a Holly Blue last year feeding on a dead fox carcass. That was nasty, not to mention the smell. Anyway, my dad planted alot of vegetables, cabbages, lettuce, carrots etc... and it seems tere has been a bigger presence of white butterflies since then. I planted pots of nisturshims to counter this, if any of his cabbages do get laid on by butterflies, I'll move the caterpillars onto the nasturshims and save him the annoyance of having no cabbages again this year.

[Shirley Roulston]

Last year I put a photo of my brassica plants completly ruined by the White butterflies, I forgot to take a photo of the same plants this last April, they had completly grown back, full of leaf and we had masses of broccoli. Next door to us we have a holiday home and the owners are totally unaware of the grassy bank by their house is full of Bird's-Foot Trefoil, so I've put a little note through his door asking him not to strim it likes he usually does, I think a lot of people simply don't know a great deal about wild flowers and how they can draw the insects in and of course butterflies. The website's are very keen on wild birds but it is nice to see photos of wild and garden flowers. I have a large patch of dandelion's and I have been asked by a few people why I don't cut them, the reason is for the butterflies and the seeds for the Goldfinches and Greenfinches. First photo the Birds's-Foot Trefoil and the second Dandelion.

Picture 009.jpg (51.73 KiB) Viewed 855 times

DSC01912.JPG (58.1 KiB) Viewed 855 times

I know a lot of folks will say we know what a dandelion looks like .
Shirley Ps. Now I have a new macro lens I'll be looking to practice on flowers.

[Susie]

Lots of people may think they know what a dandelion is but lots of people also class plenty of flowers from the dandelion family as "dandelions" when they actually aren't so having a photo of one, as you have posted Shirley, is actually very useful.

[geniculata]

hi all,

well there isn't alot of butterfly attracters in my small garden, its mainly laid out in a subtropical planting of species of antipodean and oriental asian origin.
i did have a good stand of verbena bonariensis which attracted brimstones ,whites and nymphalids with regularity a couple of years ago but it would seed into the slate aggregate with such profusion, that it had to go.
im planning on moving and purchasing a home with a larger plot in the near future so as to have more garden to play with and develop a more natural garden that supports far more local wildlife, plus somewere to grow some vegies.

gary.

[Paul]

Wow, that's a very impressive looking garden!

[geniculata]

well thanks paul,

but i was even more impressed with yours and its wildlife potential, your ponds and wild flower areas, particularly inspiring.
I have some native wild flower species in pots that ive raised from seed like sainfoin and sea campion but thats about it.
i had two good ponds in my last garden but never got around to fitting one in here.
I plan some in my next garden to satisfy my urge to accomodate more wildlife myself.

gary.

[Susie]

Very tropical!

[Shirley Roulston]

Masses of buttercups in a corner of my field and in amongst was a tired Small Tortoiseshell.

in fact this butterfly looks like an old man with a beard.
Shrley

[Susie]

That's lovely, I think buttercups are beautiful.

If I needed any proof that growing sweet rocket from seed was a good idea I got it today. I have had occasional whites in the garden feeding on it but today it was dinner for the painted ladies and they really enjoyed it. There were dozens of these at a time feeding.



and on the bowles mauve



and even on the clematis

[Shirley Roulston]

Those photos are great, I never thought of seed rocket, excellent idea. Beyond part of my garden is a huge patch of
nettles and it was that direction the PT's were flying towards yesterday maybe the females are going to lay their eggs there. I don't think you need a photo of a patch of nettles I've got to mow the lawn to-day, although at the same time keep an eye open for the PT's or anything else.
Shirley

[Pete Eeles]

Brilliant shots Susie - I could only manage to get 3 in a shot, max!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Susie]

I put glue on the flowers. Once stuck they weren't going anywhere. You don't teach that at the photographic forums

[Susie]

I managed to get a few more in the picture today.

[Pete Eeles]

Now that's just showing off

Cheers,

- Pete