Search found 17 matches
- Sat Jul 29, 2023 6:39 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Hi bugboy, thanks for your comment. I do have yellow rattle (e.g. in the second photo) but it is hard to see having now gone to seed. That patch is looking the most promising of the various areas I have seeded over the last four years, in that the grass is not too vigorous and there is a good variet...
- Sat Jul 29, 2023 3:28 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
I thought I would bring this thread up to date. Last season (2022) I had several visits from common blues during the hot weather in July, and then an egg-laying small copper at the end of August. Of course this year I was hoping for better numbers of these two species, but so far I have only seen tw...
- Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:55 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Hi David - thanks for your kind words! Yes, I was amazed at the intricate structure of the egg - quite extraordinary really. I had the same experience as you with common blues this year, seeing several over ten days during the hot weather in July, never having seen one here before. I also saw a coup...
- Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:25 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Doing some work in the garden today and saw a flash of orange as a small butterfly flew past. It turned out to be the hoped-for small copper which soon homed in on a sorrel plant and laid an egg. Unfortunately, by the time I had gone inside, picked up my camera and returned, the butterfly was gone. ...
- Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:04 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Another common blue today - a female this time - I saw it flying about and managed to get a good look when it settled briefly on a white clover. I thought I saw it earlier over my wildflower patch, so I hope it found the bird's foot trefoil I have carefully cultivated.
Great to see!
Cheers,
Matthew
Great to see!
Cheers,
Matthew
- Sun Jul 17, 2022 11:03 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Hi Medard - Good photos again. I think your mystery insect might be a four lined horsefly Atylotus rusticus . To your point about the abundance of insects this year, at the moment I have plenty of honey bees, odd bumble bees, lots of hedge brown butterflies. Earlier in the summer I had good numbers ...
- Thu Jul 14, 2022 12:01 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Exciting development today. Looking down the garden, I saw a greyish looking small butterfly or moth flying about quite fast and low. Of course I nipped out to investigate. Whatever it was crossed into my neighbour’s garden and started nectaring on a verbena flower. From its underwing markings I cou...
- Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:37 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Nice photos of the scarlet tiger - I've been looking out for them but so far I've just seen jersey tigers which have been around the last few years.
Cheers,
Matthew
Cheers,
Matthew
- Sat Jul 09, 2022 4:02 am
- Forum: Identification
- Topic: Mega Big Moth I.D
- Replies: 3
- Views: 201
Re: Mega Big Moth I.D
An impressive find Dave. I had a very similar experience this time last year - I spotted two privet hawk moths sitting on a wooden post just like yours were. When I saw the first one I thought it was a mouse or something.
Cheers,
Matthew
Cheers,
Matthew
- Thu Jun 30, 2022 9:29 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Hi Bertie - That's encouraging, thanks. As you point out, it would be easy to miss a flying visit. I had my first ever marbled white in the garden recently (I've been here 25 years), which goes to show you never know what might show up.
Cheers,
Matthew
Cheers,
Matthew
- Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:55 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
may I suggest that you invest in a few Lavender plants , they can be easily increased by means of cuttings, may be a local nursery / garden centre can help. Thanks for the suggestion - I'm pushed for space in my garden, but my immediate neighbours have large drifts of it, so it must help bring butt...
- Sun Jun 26, 2022 9:41 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
In my garden the commas seem to flash through fast overhead, rarely settling. The only flower I have seen them on is verbena; I haven't got any lavender. I've never seen a hummingbird hawk moth here but I've just planted some red valerian which apparently they like - maybe next year... Cheers, Matthew
- Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:15 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Two more friends came to visit the garden yesterday. https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com ... Nice to see. I get very few small tortoiseshells in my garden - only three in total this year. I planted nettles to see if they would lay eggs on them. That hasn't happened yet, as far as I know, but a very...
- Mon Jun 20, 2022 9:28 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Hi Medard, Thanks for your encouraging words. Great photos as well - that moth is a stunner. I've got a fair range of wildflowers e.g. bird's foot trefoil, sorrel, knapweed, yarrow and wild marjoram, and my neighbours have lots of lavender. So I hope any travelling butterflies might be drawn in. Fun...
- Thu Jun 16, 2022 8:17 am
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Thanks David - I will live in hope and post here if anything turns up...
- Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:15 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
Re: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Sounds like you're off to a good start, both species would find a miles travel to disperse to a new site in the countryside a breeze. In your situation it may be problematic depending on how much 'concrete jungle' is between you and the known site but I would hazard an educated guess and say far fr...
- Tue Jun 14, 2022 3:50 pm
- Forum: Foodplants and Gardening
- Topic: What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 3453
What chance of attracting common blue or small copper?
Hi Everyone, I just joined this forum after lurking for a few weeks enjoying all your posts and pictures. I've been trying to make my North London garden more butterfly-friendly over the last three years, mainly by letting most of the lawn grow long and by planting wildflowers. There is cover in the...