Butterflies

[Sue]

Hi
I've got every other weed but not nettles and I'd be quite happy to grow some for the butterflies, daft question but can you buy seed?
Have now lost two lots of buddlea drowned in the excess water over winter, I've found a new place, flood free for one so will be trying again with that.
Sue

[TPeers]

Hi
I've got every other weed but not nettles and I'd be quite happy to grow some for the butterflies, daft question but can you buy seed?
Have now lost two lots of buddlea drowned in the excess water over winter, I've found a new place, flood free for one so will be trying again with that.
Sue

I can provide a budlia sapling - the pale mauve kind, could be interesting to post! The grow like weeds here.

Loads of nettles, what do the seed pods look like, I usually cut them down, not good wildlife stuff I know, but I have small kids!

[TPeers]

Thinking about it Sue, I can drive down to you - when would you like a plant?

[Headfry]

If you dare risk the ridicule.... find a nettle plant growing on a plot and ask if you could have it
cut the roots into sections and plant, keep watered - you WILL have nettles.
We have heaps, pm me and i will post some roots to you!

ps - nettles are a good indication of fertile soil

HF

[moggssue]

I saw my first cabbage white yesterday morning, no others as yet though. Had the same thing with bees, they were all over my sweet peas and lupins around April/May in their hundreds then just disappeared. The last couple of days I've seen one or two so maybe they area coming back as well?

[Headfry]

The cabbage whites seem very very late this year....only just starting to see them.
Did you know that some delicate little butterflies migrate! I need to check as to which type.
Think it's peacocks or red admirals? they go miles over sea.....how can they do that!
brave little flutterbys. gods speed!

[multiveg]

We've had loads of bees - the mints and lavenders swarm with them.
Trying to think of the flutterbys i've seen this year: cabbage whites, peacock. I've seen more moths though - currently, the hazelnut is home/restaurant for buff-tip caterpillars, seen plume moths - they look like a T shape with their wings folded, angle shades caterpillar (eating strawberry leaves), heart and dart, caterpillar on the currants (bright coloured one, can't work out what it is from the book) plus more moths I haven't looked at closely.

[Headfry]

Is it orange and black stripes!

[Sue]

Terry
That's a very kind offer, a long way from Coulsden though! But you'd be very welcome if you'd like a day out in TWells.
I'll have to go on a hunt round the plots for nettles, but worried that I haven't got them now, if it's a sign of fertility. Don't suppose, dock, couch grass, clover and dandelions count in the fertility thing - don't tell me, they're all signs of poor ground...
Sue

[Flummery]

We have c whites (!) large white, peacocks, small tortoiseshell, comma, green veined white, holly blue, orange tip, meadow brown, ringlet, brown argus, brimstone, marbled white, speckled wood. A good record but not many and a big gap in the monsoon season!

[jobi1canobi]

I'm pleased to say that I managed to save a HUGE painted lady from my mum's kitchen windowsill yesterday but thinking about it, it's the first butterfly I've seen this year. Sorry, I didn't even think to take a photograph of it - and it would have been so easy as well!

[kirsty b]

If you dare risk the ridicule.... find a nettle plant growing on a plot and ask if you could have it
cut the roots into sections and plant, keep watered - you WILL have nettles.
We have heaps, pm me and i will post some roots to you!

ps - nettles are a good indication of fertile soil

HF

My soil must be fabulous then!! Having a job getting the nettles to make way for some veg. Lots of nettle tea for the toms though. Once I have established order I plan to keep a nettle patch purely for the butterflies.

[Flummery]

We managed to identify a moth my sister had photographed a few days ago on her shed wall. It's a magpie moth - they can be quite variable and the pic in the book didn't look exactly like hers but when we read the description it applied to both. They usually fly at night and this one was in the afternoon. Very pretty. Basically white with black spots/markings but also with some yellow/orange. Really quite a good looker.

[Sue]

Flummery
Speechless with envy, have never even seen most of those butterflies, it's cabbage whites, a red admiral or two if you're lucky and maybe just once a peacock here. I did see a blue jobby last year, but it was too fast for me to identify which one, oh and a brimstone, just the one last year.
green, green, green
Sue

[SueA]

Not seen half as many butterflies this year as last. We usually have loads but have only just started to see the odd one now the sun is out. I think most of the poor things must have drowned!