Butterfly/ Moth /Dragonfly Images

Plenty of butterfly’s on the budlejia today

 

Well, I'm up to 17 different species of butterfly having visited my garden in total with today's sighting! A male Common Blue. Also thought I may have spotted a Small or Essex Skipper from my window, but wasn't able to verify it as I couldn't get up close/take a photo. Commas are doing extremely well here this year, visitor numbers on sunny days have almost doubled! Bit concerned about the low number of Painted Ladies, the only species which seems to have steeply declined locally this year, is everyone else seeing decent numbers of them?

Nick

 

@Nikolaos that's 5 more than me!

 

@strongylodon I read earlier on the RSPB website that up to 22 species can be recorded in gardens, so I may possibly get another 5 species visiting me! I still am yet to record Ringlet, Essex/Small Skipper, Wall Brown. Really pleased with the fact that I've had a Small Copper and a Large Skipper visit, it just shows that even in a small garden like mine planting the right plants can reward you with some interesting visitors!

Nick

 

Each year i see less and less in the countryside

 

Saddens me to hear that, the fortunate thing about my garden is that once a species visits they seem to typically come in similar numbers or larger after that, with very few fluctuations.

Nick

 

I’ve hardly seen any butterflies this Summer, about a dozen at most, where are they all? Is it the rain?

 

The rain is a big part of it I reckon, and certainly the wind is another thing here in Notts which has been unfavourable to them since they like sunny, still conditions.

Nick

 

I've seen a couple of cabbage whites and that's all - even with a good summer here. Peacocks and red admirals tend to arrive when the Sedum 'Spectabile' starts blooming.

 

It too far for the Butterfies to fly from the towns, out here a few gardens with food, the countryside is grass grass and grass no food so why would they fly a long way for a few garden's one famer had lots of food plants but now it's changed hands farm house rented out garden was land scarped ie remove all plants and let what's left of the grass to grow!!

The countryside now only has food for insects for about a few weeks then there isn't any food, more food plants in town's