www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

This morning i ventured out , and up into my wild bit of garden at around 9.00am, where i spied 3 butterflies. There were probably more, hiding. One was a Gatekeeper, wings out-stretched, and warming up. The next was a Small white resting, but the most active was a Small heath feeding on a Field scabious. I was delighted, because this Small heath increased my 'species in the garden' tally to 17. What are your garden tallies? Gosh,,,i'm such a twitcher.

My garden list is 22 .
Brimstone, Brown Argus, Clouded Yellow, Comma, Common Blue, Essex Skipper, Gatekeeper, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Large Skipper, Large White, Marbled White,
Meadow Brown, Orange-tip, Painted Lady, Peacock, Red Admiral, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, and Speckled Wood....so far.

Denise

Well, aint you the limit,,,i only ever seen one skipper in the garden, and i couldn't id that.(several years ago). Nice one Denise.

My excuse is, i've only been looking for 2 years.

Me too,
Compared to many on here, I'm a newbie.

Denise

And no Small heath yet.... Sorry,,being silly again.

and no Small Copper either.....yet.

Denise

That's a pretty impressive score Denise, my tally of regulars is one behind yours, with: Large White, Small White, Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Brimstone, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Small Copper, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Holly Blue, Silver Washed Fritillary, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown, Hedge Brown, Ringlet and Speckled Wood.

Felix.

Lets see what I have got in total(not a lof of species of butterfly, but what we do get is good numbers of them):

Holly Blue (Usually appear from somewhere and then disappear after feeding on buddleia)
Small/Large/GV White
Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Speckled Wood
Small Tortoiseshell (seen most this year with 6 at once on one buddliea and last year with 10 in total in my garden, with one very damaged)
Peacock

Quite a few moths visit too:
Silver Y
August Thorn
Mottled Beauty
Buff Ermine
White Ermine
Large Yellow Underwing
Broad Borderd Yellow Underwing
Marbled Beauty
Twenty-Plume Moth
Common Footman
Common Rustic
Cabbage Moth
Swallow-Tail Moth

Come to think of it, I have had one Orange-Tip in my garden which is a big mystery to me since all the locations around where I live that actually have OT populations are 1 mile away, 400-500 yards and another over a hill at a river, don't know how it got in my garden as no one but me breeds butterflies here and since I live in a private country estate, I'd know if anyone released anything around here. I have not even seen a population or any OTs in the immediate area around my garden.

I have found Speckled woods breeding in my garden, rescued pupae and caterpillars before from being cut up when grass is mown a bit. Seen adults in October once or twice.

Had hummingbird hawk-moths and elephant hawk-moths in garden before. Never seen adult elephant hawks, but seen large caterpillars on fuschia bush in garden.

Garden Butterflies.

It's twenty years since a Wall was observed in my garden. I have never bred a Small Copper and never seen one in my garden until one day, a newly emerged female was on my garage wall still expanding its wings...

Woodland butterflies I do not see very often in the garden as the surrounding suburban gardens are numerous and several miles from decent Broadleaf Woods on the nearby hills. However, in the exceptionally hot dry summer of 1976 when we did not have a drop of rain from June until late August, a Silver Washed Fritillary was seen on my Buddleia no doubt desparate for some liquid refreshment it had no option but to descend from the Hills and seek its fortunes in the town. Female Brimstones in spring are more frequent than their males.

I have never knowingly seen an Orange Tip Butterfly in my garden but, I know they have bred there. On two occasions I've found their distinctive pupae on my wooden fences. Speckled Woods have been resident and breeding in my garden for twenty years. I still find that amazing that they stay in such a limited sized garden. Again, I've seen females laying and have found their suspended pupae.

Funny thing is, I have seen many more very unusual Bird species in my small garden over the years. These include Male Reed Bunting, Wheatear, Red Legged Partridge and perhaps the best of all, groups of Siskins and Crossbills feeding on the small cones on the Ch. Lawsonia Conifers planted as a screen at the bottom of my back garden. Until twenty years ago, Song Thrushes were frequent ~ not seen one for ages....

Six years ago, those conifers were removed to make way for a double garage there ~ old cars being another of my interests. The huge Strawberry Tree on which I raised several generations of Europe's largest butterfly Charaxes jasius ( Sometimes known as the Two-Tailed Pasha ) sadly had to go too. I bought that as a £1.00p 10" inch high young sapling in 1972. It grew to half the size of a double decker bus in all the years i had it. A beautiful evergreen which has Lily of the Valley like clusters of flowers in early winter ~ much loved by Red Admirals still active into December. On the 1st January 1973, in the centre of Cheltenham, I saw a Red Admiral flying strongly.

Dave said

Never seen adult elephant hawks, but seen large caterpillars on fuschia bush in garden.

I found a Elephant HM caterpillar on my hardy fuscia last year. Is this their fave munch?

Your garden sounds impressive Coltswold, suburbia is far better for all wildlife than the barren stretches of arable land that are adjacent to us. This year is really my first as a butterfly enthusiast, and my knowledge is very limited. Little did i realise that not only would i have to learn to recognise all the butterflies, but their caterpillars, and eggs as well. I was quite pleased with my tally this year. 17 isn't bad for a 'know nothing'. The Orange tip was up by my pond, it didnt stay long. This is really chalk downland, and they tend to be a meadow lover (i think).

"Everybody is ignorant, just of different subjects."... Will Rogers.

Zonda wrote:Dave said

Never seen adult elephant hawks, but seen large caterpillars on fuschia bush in garden.

I found a Elephant HM caterpillar on my hardy fuscia last year. Is this their fave munch?

If willowherb is not in the facinity of the elephant hawk moths, if fuschia is in area they might go for it, moreso in gardens in the adults come to feed on flowers there. I get them because we have honeysuckle in garden and they visit it and buddliea too.

My first year of butterfly spotting, so far in the garden we've had:

Painted Lady
Red Admiral
Green Veined White
Large White (+ eggs and caterpillars)
Small White (+ eggs and caterpillars)
Peacock
Small Tortoiseshell
Meadow Brown
Comma

They only seem to go for the buddleia and the nasturtiums, but we've planted loads of butterfly friendly seeds, so who knows who will visit next year?

Dave said

I get them because we have honeysuckle in garden and they visit it and buddliea too.

I too have honeysuckle, and it is very close to the said fuschia.

Mandie said

They only seem to go for the buddleia and the nasturtiums, but we've planted loads of butterfly friendly seeds, so who knows who will visit next year?

I find that the best way is to sow in trays or pots, and when the plants are up and away, put them out as plugs. This way, they can compete better with surrounding grass and other plants. I did precisely that, this year with birds foot Trefoil, and had several pairs of Common blues in the same year. Keep at it, the rewards are amazing.

NOTE TO FELIX
I received your PM, and i am near Dorchester, but answering it has been a problem, because there is no REPLY button. Sorry, it takes me a while to pick up messaging set-ups.

A stones throw from Portland eh Zonda, do you go there much looking for bugs and butterflies? Not much fungi on Portland I imagine, but you must have areas near you that are good for wax caps?

Felix.

24 species for me, all in the excellent year of 2006.
Small and large skipper, clouded yellow, brimstone, small, large and gv white, orange tip, small copper, brown argus, common and holly blue, red admiral, peacock, small tortoiseshell, painted lady, comma, speckled wood, wall, grayling, gatekeeper, meadow brown, ringlet and small heath.

Colin.

Felix said

A stones throw from Portland eh Zonda, do you go there much looking for bugs and butterflies? Not much fungi on Portland I imagine, but you must have areas near you that are good for wax caps?

Portland is a great place for all kinds of insects, birds, and one year i recorded hundreds of Lepista saeva 'Field blewits', or 'Blue legs' on the short grass around the Bill. These persisted for almost four months, running through Christmas. They are quite good edibles, and in the past were sold at markets. I never observed anyone picking them, except an old man on a bitterly cold day, who because he was unable to bend was swiping them off at arms length with a penknife. Sorry to wander off subject.