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Chris
I also recall seeing about 30+ nettle tree butterflies on one of these trees in the Luberon region of Provence a few years ago. I had always wondered what that tree was as the nettle trees were going nuts for it together with many huge metalic green beetles. I'd only see the odd one or two anywhere else in the area but this tree seemed to draw them like a magnet! Now I can give that tree a nameSylvie_h wrote:You are right Roger, Christ’s Thorn (Paliurus spina-christi) is highly attractive as a nectar source. When I was in North Western Greece a few years ago, this tree was a magnet for Nettle Tree butterflies. On one tree, I remember counting a total of 47 of this species and all very active in the heat of the day. I had never seen anything like it. It is also the foodplant of the little tiger blue if you are in SE Europe...
Sylvie
Now there's a coincidence Sylvie, around the 8th June, barely a week ago, in my local Parc des Bruyères, I recorded the flowering of a small number of Lime trees we have there. And yes, they do attract a multitude of nectaring insects and predating crab spiders. ChrisSylvie_h wrote:Another tree that is a good nectar source for butterflies, beetles, bees etc is the lime tree. In the South of Europe when it is hot during the day, the buzz of insects on the flowers of this tree can be quite incredible... Sylvie
Me neither. It can't be anything else to be honest.Padfield wrote: I can't see anything other than green-veined in the white.