robert writes
In message , Elizabeth
writes
Any other parts of the country suffering from lack of butterflies so
far here in the west of Scotland some cabbage whites and occasional
Red Admiral but little else in spite of lots of Buddleia around
Elizabeth in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Marked lack of both numbers and differing species this year in S Devon.

A couple of overwintered Peacocks in the early spring, A few Common
Blues a bit later and recently some Gatekeepers, a solitary Small
Tortoiseshell and fairly frequent Large/Cabbage Whites.

It is the same story with the moth population - very few and the only
interesting one so far has been a couple of sightings of Oak Eggers.
Not a single sighting of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth for the first time in
12 years.

The answer has to be the weather as far as this area is concerned.
Looking at the state of our garden wildflower areas which are in an
abysmal state due to high winds and heavy rain I imagine that the local
wild and farmed habitats are also suffering.

I have basically variety but not numbers.

Large white, small white, peacock, meadow brown, speckled wood, small
copper, and today a beautiful comma. Perhaps one or two in the garden at
a time. Certainly not the down at a time that I remember from my
childhood.

But remarkable absence of small tortoiseshells
--
Kay