"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
news
On 08/08/2018 11:03, Broadback wrote:
On 08/08/2018 10:42, Martin Brown wrote:
Although it has been very warm this year there has been a real shortage of interesting
butterflies in North Yorkshire with many cabbage whites and hardly any tortoise
shells, red admirals or peacocks.

In a normal year we would expect the ratio to be tortoise shells as the most common
followed by cabbage whites and a good number of everything else. I haven't seen any
rarer butterflies or moths this year

A hummingbird hawkmoth has been seen recently here though not by me.
I grow Pink Valerian (Centranthus ruber) to attract them. It is a bit of a thug but it
brings in plenty of butterflies as do the budleias.

exactly the same here in low lying North Staffordshire. I also find it a puzzle.

Same here last year was poor but this year is worse even cabbage whites are thin on the
ground, no Tortoise shells no Peacocks and no Red Admiral, seen 2 Comma but nothing else
in the garden although plenty of Meadow browns on the dog walks

Quite different here in the North of Scotland, a good number of orange tips
(have become established here in the last few years) in May, now large
numbers of peacocks, small tortoiseshell, red admirals and painted ladies.
Copious large and small whites attacking the greenstuff and plenty of
meadow browns and ringlets - so in all an excellent season.

Phil
40 miles N. of Inverness



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