www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Don't get me wrong, I love the hot weather as much as anyone, but in the last couple of days I've started to become concerned at the prospect of plants withering away and no longer being available as a sustainable food source of the larval stages of the numerous butterfly numbers seen so far this year.

At about 6pm here in Abergavenny, there was a clap of thunder that precipitated a 3/4 hour storm, and the ground is currently pretty wet.

Thus far 2011 has been almost perfect for butterflies. I do hope that this continues, but it surely can't if rainfall doesn't come to nourish the plants on which caterpillars feed.

What would be the implications if we had another fortnight with no appreciable rain and 20C+ temperatures?

Send it down here to Surrey where we haven't had a drop for at least a month. I too am eyeing up the wild flowers in my field with a view to sneaking the sprinklers out there one evening soon.

The real problem of no rain will be that there is nothing to germinate fresh seed. We have about 40 kilos of wildlife seed mixes to be sown on the headlands round the pheasant cover crops and none of it can go in. The Phacelia that went in with the other wild flower seed in the autumn is just starting to flower, but the area I prepared for a spring sowing to follow on is just a dust bath.

I noticed that the wet patch of ground where I had washed the tractor was attracting butterflies, presumably looking for water.

Send it here please! Hasn't rain in 3 weeks or so, highest rainfall in Northern Ireland in March was only 5mm with 1mm falling in one day! Dust paths all over the place. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of sun, but I'd prefer rain now. I was at an alder swamp I go to to record local buzzards, butterflies and moth trap, its really dry. I went early this year and it was so wet, I got up to my waist in mud, this time I walked over that area with ease.

Dave McCormick wrote:Send it here please! Hasn't rain in 3 weeks or so, highest rainfall in Northern Ireland in March was only 5mm with 1mm falling in one day! Dust paths all over the place. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of sun, but I'd prefer rain now. I was at an alder swamp I go to to record local buzzards, butterflies and moth trap, its really dry. I went early this year and it was so wet, I got up to my waist in mud, this time I walked over that area with ease.

Having seen the Countryfile weather for the week, I believe there will be some rain along with normal April temperatures for the next few days in NI.

The grass here is starting to turn brown, its so parched. It looks like august!

David M wrote:

Dave McCormick wrote:Send it here please! Hasn't rain in 3 weeks or so, highest rainfall in Northern Ireland in March was only 5mm with 1mm falling in one day! Dust paths all over the place. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of sun, but I'd prefer rain now. I was at an alder swamp I go to to record local buzzards, butterflies and moth trap, its really dry. I went early this year and it was so wet, I got up to my waist in mud, this time I walked over that area with ease.

Having seen the Countryfile weather for the week, I believe there will be some rain along with normal April temperatures for the next few days in NI.

Last report I saw today said next few days will be sunny, dull tomorrow morning, turning to sun and Wednesday is to get to 17C again with more sun, Thursday is supposed to be cooler, but more sun, hopefully the weekend will bring rain.

Everything in my garden is starting to die so had to water everything a lot.