www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi folks, I am in the process of tidying an overgrown garden. I have noticed that this year there are lots of butterflies, I am not at all expert, but certainly whites, Tortoishells, Peacocks, usually around the big buddleia bushes. Plus another smaller brown chappie, (gatekeeper?) who hang about the lawn (possibly for the dandelions??) No Red Admirals this year! (Is this country-wide? Or just my garden?)
Now when tidying I do not want to be composting or burning the eggs of butterflies. When is the best time to tidy? Don't worry, I am not turning it in to a barren desert, there are three very large buddleias, elders, brambles etc etc, and I am just cutting back, and am waiting for the buddleias to finish flowering before getting the machete to them.

ooh, just spotted a new one, a sort of buttermilk coloured, with a spot on his wings.........

Which, by using the 'British Butterflies' id chart, I guess is a female Brimstone? (I hope I have left enough brambles for it!)

You can extend the flowering time of the buddleias by deadheading them, cut the lead dead flower head and you will see two side shoot buds below, if they are past that stage, then just below that point and you may get small secondary flowers. When cutting the whole plant back don't cut it as far as you would like because you will get further die back over winter and you will need to prune again in the spring. As for elders, if you can leave them till the fruit has been taken then the birds will be grateful, as with the brambles. Some butterflies will drink from overripe black-berries, but unless there are still flowers on them I'd grub them out, or at least cut back to 6 inches and paint Glyphosate on the stems. The one hedge/tree not to cut now is the blackthorn unless it's egg free. Both buddleias and elder can die of shock if you are too severe with them so try to leave a bit of leaf on them till the autumn.

Thanks John... I have three enormous Buddleia and next-door has one they are unlikely to cut back this year. Next-door also has the biggest elder I have ever seen, taller than the house, so birds who like that sort of thing won't starve...
I'll dead-head the buddleia which is still in full bloom. I am not sure that I have any buckthorn?? That's the coastal one with bright berries isn't it?

Where and when do peacocks and tortoiseshells and Red Admirals lay their eggs? Or is it the pupae that over-winter? Or the adults?

wakou2 wrote: I am not sure that I have any buckthorn?? That's the coastal one with bright berries isn't it?
Where and when do peacocks and tortoiseshells and Red Admirals lay their eggs? Or is it the pupae that over-winter? Or the adults?

That's sea-buckthorn. If you've got any Brimstone butterflies then Common buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica is their food plant. The three you mention overwinter as adults, so just clean the cobwebs and spiders out of the garden shed, and don't cut back the nettles before winter, for all will lay on the common nettle, Urtica dioica; some like nettles in the sun and some in the shade

Thank you, John. As you may have guessed, I am new to this lepidoptery lark..... So I will start a new thread....

[quote="JohnR"]You can extend the flowering time of the buddleias by deadheading them, cut the lead dead flower head and you will see two side shoot buds below, if they are past that stage, then just below that point and you may get small secondary flowers. /quote]
Done.. and thanks for the advice.

[quote="JohnR"]You can extend the flowering time of the buddleias by deadheading them, cut the lead dead flower head and you will see two side shoot buds below, if they are past that stage, then just below that point and you may get small secondary flowers. /quote]
Done.. and thanks for the advice.