buddleia and butterflies
 

My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?
Tom Atkinson

"Tom Atkinson" wrote in message
...
My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have
this
experience ?

Tom,
'Can only speak for my neck of the woods, but the butterfly season
does seem to be out of kilter this year. We had a good show of Orange
Tips some weeks back and the meadows are alive with Meadow Browns and
Ringlets but,
I've only seen a couple of Red Admirals in the garden, and no Small
Torts, no Painted Ladys, no Commas as yet.

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 12.07.2005

The message
from "Tom Atkinson" contains these
words:

My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?

No: my buddleia isn't out yet and the garden is fluttering with
butterflies. Seen recently: several different blues, one of them the
common blue; (Saw several holly blues earlier in the year); ringlet;
meadow brown; red admiral; tortoiseshell; fritillary; painted lady;
large white; orange tip; and loads and loads more large whites - they go
after my watercress.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

In article , Tom Atkinson thomas@tho
masatkinson.wanadoo.co.uk writes
My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?

There are far fewer butterflies around now than 40 years ago. And round
here, this year doesn't seem to be particularly good for butterflies so
far - whether it's the wet or the cold I don't know.

Also, not all buddleias are attractive to butterflies - the nearer you
are to the pale purple that grows on wasteground, the better.

Finally, it's not much use expecting butterflies to flock to your
buddleia unless they're already in the area - which means you or your
neighbours need to grow a succession of flowers attractive to
butterflies, and also the food plants for their caterpillars.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 21:43:37 +0100, "Tom Atkinson"
wrote:

My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?

The exact opposite here!

Lot of hornets around this year too.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

The message
from Stephen Howard contains these words:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 21:43:37 +0100, "Tom Atkinson"
wrote:

My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?

The exact opposite here!

Lot of hornets around this year too.

I've been buzzed - well, deep-hummed more like - in an inquisitive way
several times by hornets this year. Old gold, with a Merlin engine...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

In message , Tom Atkinson
writes
My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?
Tom Atkinson

This year has been rather short on butterflies so far, but there were a
fair number of satyrids around when I was out walking today. (And my
buddleias are just coming out.)
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

"Tom Atkinson" wrote in message
...
My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?
Tom Atkinson


I find Hebe's are much better for many insects includeing butterflies

Hazel

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote

I've been buzzed - well, deep-hummed more like - in an inquisitive way
several times by hornets this year. Old gold, with a Merlin engine...

I had one come into my conservatory the other day. Caught it in a small pot
with the aid of a plastic coaster and let it out again.

"Tom Atkinson" wrote
My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?

Yes. Walked by two purple buddlejas basking in the sun in full flower the
other day and was disappointed to see nothing but one one tortoiseshell. My
pink one (forget the name) is butterfly bereft as well.

There are several little brown ones in the wild garden and I've had the odd
red admiral and tortoiseshell and one fleeting glimpse of what I thought
was a comma up by the house in the last few days. But definitely sparser
numbers than there used to be. Even the cabbage whites seem few and far
between so far.

--
Sue

Tom Atkinson wrote:

My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?
Tom Atkinson

Butterflies definitely have preferences. We have ~15 buddleia bushes in
the garden, of various colours. They almost never touch the white
buddleia, similarly a very dark one. Even among the more 'standard'
colours, the butterflies are still picky.
--
Larry Stoter

Since starting this thread , two small tortoiseshell butterflies graced me
with their presence today!!
Tom Atkinson
"Larry Stoter" wrote in message
.uk...
Tom Atkinson wrote:

My buddleia is in full flower BUT NO butterflies. Anyone else have this
experience ?
Tom Atkinson

Butterflies definitely have preferences. We have ~15 buddleia bushes in
the garden, of various colours. They almost never touch the white
buddleia, similarly a very dark one. Even among the more 'standard'
colours, the butterflies are still picky.
--
Larry Stoter

The message k
from (Larry Stoter) contains these words:

Butterflies definitely have preferences. We have ~15 buddleia bushes in
the garden, of various colours. They almost never touch the white
buddleia, similarly a very dark one. Even among the more 'standard'
colours, the butterflies are still picky.

My buddleia is now bursting, but despite it being the old-fashioned
model, I haven't noticed a flutterby on it as yet.

Perhaps they haven't seen it.

Note to self - do some weeding..........

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/