Butterflies

[has-bean]

Nope I'm not a nervous poster its just that I saw the horrible sight of half a dozen cabbage whites fluttering around the allotments today - and a couple of red admirals. Havent even put my nets up yet never mind put any cabbages out and theyre here already - as for the pigeons......

Let battle commence

[Alice]

Hello has - been. Today I saw a peacock and a painted lady, and delighted to see them - But they don't pose a threat - well I don't think. What do the red admiral catterpillars attack ?

[has-bean]

Pigeons and cabbage whites I hope Alice. Maybe I should catch a few and train em.

[Two_Sheds]

Red Admiral caterpillars eat nettles, so leave them a patch
I'm getting a butterfly net this year...to catch the CWhites with, as draping it over the crops doesn't work...I think they crouch over and fire the eggs thru the net

[Earthbabe]

I saw a bright yellow butterfly over a disused weedy etc patch by a railway station, no idea what it was but it was a lovely sight in early March.

[mikk100]

I am very confused about butterflies, my OH loves them and wants us to leave some rough ground and attract them in some way with appropriate flowers but then they come from caterpillars which (apart from making me feel sick) are surely bad for the veg, should we be attracting them or trying to deter them. I've seen a lot of products in the garden centre for killing them which doesn't seem fair if we've encouraged them in the first place....

[Flummery]

I saw a bright yellow butterfly over a disused weedy etc patch by a railway station, no idea what it was but it was a lovely sight in early March.

Could have been a Brimstone. Lovely butterflies - they have a very zig-zaggy flight.
If it had a dark border, I think it would have been a clouded yellow?

[Two_Sheds]

[QUOTE=mikk100;82142]I am very confused about butterflies, my OH loves them and wants us to leave some rough ground and attract them in some way with appropriate flowers but then they come from caterpillars which (apart from making me feel sick) are surely bad for the veg, QUOTE]

Read up on what they eat...you'll find a lot of them live on nettles and that kind of thing, not your veg. Obviously Cabbage Whites should be dispatched ... as I can't always find the caterpillars (pillarcats) as they are camouflaged, I am going to be chasing the butterflies around the lottie this year with a net.

[Mrs Dobby]

Saw a couple of Red Admiral's on the plot today, was pleasantly surprised to see them so early!

[Flummery]

I had a brimstone in the front garden yesterday Earthbabe. Also a tortoiseshell and a peacock sunning itself on a newly hoed bit of flowerbed (rare sight here - the hoed flowerbed not the butterfly!)

[dexterdoglancashire]

Saw a couple of Red Admiral's on the plot today, was pleasantly surprised to see them so early!

Yes, there were a couple here in Preston as well over the weekend. Maybe they had travelled north from Manchester! Bernie aka Dexterdog