Butterflies in the garden

PK · Post by PK » 21 Aug 2007, 18:46

I am a bit better with butterflies. In my garden this year:-

Large white
Small white
Tortiseshell
Peacock
Common Blue
Orange tip
Common Brown
Gatekeeper

Not very good with moths but a couple of years ago I had the unmistakable Leopard moth

Post by **wendy** » 21 Aug 2007, 22:33

Lucky you.
I have had a couple of large white and common brown and that's it.
Very sad not to see them this year.
Wendy

Post by **Richard** » 22 Aug 2007, 07:16

Same as Wendy here, not so many this year and we have enough 'natural unkept' areas for them to be attracted to.

I wonder if it's they aren't breeding, have died for some reason or other or just not finding my garden attractive to them.

Is it the same for you every year PK?

PK · Post by PK » 22 Aug 2007, 08:40

It varies a lot each year. This year, for example, I saw a soilitary peacock butterfly where usually we have lots on a budjlea bush. If you remember we had a hot spell very early in the summer which saw the numbers increase, such as orange tips. But the wet and the lower temperatures for much of this summer have had an impact this year. I haven't seen any red admirals this year.

AnnaB · Post by **AnnaB** » 22 Aug 2007, 15:43

Was going to answer this thread last night...asked OH to look through the book for me to get the names - was going to ask Phil about Red Admirals as we always have loads.

Emmamoo · Post by **Emmamoo** » 22 Aug 2007, 17:33

I have seen one or two large whites this year but thats about it in my garden. I am attracting lots of moths though which I don't mind. Not sure which ones they are, but they don't bother me anyway in teh slightest.

Post by **Richard** » 22 Aug 2007, 19:42

Moth's get bad press don't they. Some are beautiful and, apparently, there are thousands of breeds.

Emmamoo · Post by **Emmamoo** » 22 Aug 2007, 21:08

Richard wrote:Moth's get bad press don't they. Some are beautiful and, apparently, there are thousands of breeds.

they used to freak me out a bit cos they are more 'in yer face' than butterflies but I don't mind them any more.... it's spiders that scare me!

I found this:
http://www.nationalmothnight.info/2006/commonmoths.php

I didn't realise there was a national moth night!

PK · Post by PK » 22 Aug 2007, 22:43

Richard wrote:Moth's get bad press don't they. Some are beautiful and, apparently, there are thousands of breeds.

In the UK there are less than 70 species of butterfly (some quite rare now) but around 2400 species of moth. Moths are generally smaller and less eye-catching as well as being largely nocturnal but there are some attractive ones. The leopard moth I mentioned earlier is definately that. Last year I saw a humming bird moth at the RHS garden Hyde Hall which was just like a minature humming bird.

Post by **Richard** » 22 Aug 2007, 23:01

Thanks for that info PK. I remembered watching a documentary about them and they put a cloth up in a field with a light behind it - beautiful photography.

I think some bad press is that they tend to land on your head when in bed!
Beside that, they are fascinating.

My father was petrified of Spider's. He was in the Desert (El Alemein etc) during WW2 and he had one or two scary says. After 6 years of Battle in various places, he would run out the Bathroom if their was a spider in the Bath! :shock:

I usually do OK with them - until you get a really big thick one, then I just hope they go away on their own!!
I never kill one, they're working for us taking care of flies etc. But I sometimes have to move one for their own sake!

Post by **wendy** » 23 Aug 2007, 08:29

Don't have any problem with spiders, I will pick them up [even the big hairy ones] and put them outside. My mother used to say 'kill a spider and you will never go to heaven' can't risk that I am afraid.
I am concerned about moth's, but again won't kill them. I found a beautiful one the other day on a flower pot outside. It was big as some butterflies and looked like it was leopard spotted. Would that be it.

melons · Post by **melons** » 23 Aug 2007, 08:36

I had hypnotherapy to cure my fear of flying, which it did to a certain extent, but it has made my fear of spiders ten times worse :shock:

My friend who does the hypnotherapy, says this often happens, another fear increases as the original one eases, I'm still not sure which one I'd rather as the main fear, I don't fly often, but we do live in an old house & have lots & lots & lots of spiders, big ones, Darran puts them outside, the next day they're back in, homing spiders, great

We never kill anything, only flies, they call him a Buddhist at work as he's always saving little things.

PK · Post by PK » 23 Aug 2007, 09:28

Leopard moths are very disitinctive. Take a look:-

http://www.harkphoto.com/lepmoth.jpeg

PK · Post by PK » 23 Aug 2007, 09:36

And here's a picture of a hummingbird moth similar to one I saw a few miles away. Apparently there have been increased sitings in recent years because of the warmer climate (not this year!). Take a look at its long proboscus sipping nectar:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IC_Macroglossum_stellatarum1_NR.jpg

Emmamoo · Post by **Emmamoo** » 23 Aug 2007, 09:46

I have to agree with you about the big hairy ones Richard, they scare me. My dad names all the spiders in his house. One ran out from under my bed when I was in my teens and I screamed, this thing was just huge. Dad came in and asked whats wrong and when I told him he said 'Oh don't worry, it's only Henry' I couldn't believe he'd named this giant creature!!

I have the skinny ones hanging in teh corners from my ceiling, they can stay there I won't move them.

I'm having a bbq on Sat, if I leave the outside light on in the evening I'll prob be hounded by moths.