Butterfly bank

[Matsukaze]

I have finally finished constructing a butterfly bank in my garden - this is filled with limestone dust, and has just been seeded with wild flowers, both nectar sources and foodplants. Some of the kidney vetch has already germinated!

Probably it is too small to support viable colonies - it is only 10' x 2' - but I am hoping it will attract a few additional visitors.

[Susie]

Every little helps! It looks great, what a good idea.

[Matsukaze]

A good number of Kidney Vetch seedlings have now germinated. I have ordered a range of plug plants, so there should be a bit of green on the bank soon.

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[Padfield]

What a great idea!

Don't forget to add an ants' nest...

Guy

[Matsukaze]

There are a few ant colonies in the neighbourhood, if they should be needed Thinking about it now, perhaps I should have made the bank from a range of particles from dust to small stones instead of just dust, as the variety would have given the ants space to make nests.

I have added some plug plants now, some ornamental, others for the butterflies and moths - Cheddar pink, pasque flower, clustered bellflower, lady's bedstraw (for the carpet moths and HBHM), rock-rose and wild thyme. The latter plants I have placed just by the retaining wall so that their trailing foliage can dreep over the top of the wall - the wall will heat up quickly and create a warm microclimate for eggs and larvae to develop.

[Matsukaze]

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Plenty of greenery appearing now!

[Matsukaze]

18 months later, and things look a bit different:

Seed growth has been very slow in the hostile environment, with only the kidney vetch and perhaps one or two of the bird's foot trefoil plants looking like they might flower this year. The plug plants have, for the most part, settled in well and are responsible for most of the foliage that can be seen, like the Cheddar pink below.

Some are locally sourced seeds, that I have collected from road verges and the like. The agrimony seeds here hitched lifts to the site on my trousers.

[Matsukaze]

I am growing sorrel up against the edge of the bank in the hope that heat radiated from the wall will create a warm microclimate and attract the small copper to lay eggs on the plants.

The sorrel has already colonised a gravelly path nearby, which might produce the same effect.

Wild strawberry has done the same thing. This might provide ideal egg-laying conditions for the grizzled skipper, if only there was a colony near enough to take advantage.

I am using a similar idea with rock-rose, thyme and bird's foot trefoil, allowing their trailing stems to dreep over the retaining wall and create microclimates for butterflies and moths to lay their eggs.

[Matsukaze]

I am hoping that the sainfoin will attract bumblebees and other insects. Its intricate foliage is very enjoyable.

Bladder campion is another favourite of mine. At present, the leaves are a lovely shade of green. The white flowers are attractive to moths, and I occasionally find moth larvae feeding on the seed capsules.