A Home For Butterflies

[Phil Bowler]

As a new member to this site, I would like to invite all of like mind to view my recently revamped website detailing the ongoing project, our Lincolnshire butterfly garden.
Please visit: www.homeforbutterflies.com

the cottage garden with mature trees in the background.

[David M]

Fair play, Phil, that is a labour of love and dedication. Some beautiful images on your site, and any garden that can attract butterflies such as Green Hairstreak has to have had some thought going into it.

I love the meadow area in particular; in fact I wish more people could devote areas to uses such as this....I'm all for tax rebates being provided in the name of nature!

[Phil Bowler]

Thank you, David for your kind comments. To this day I still have no idea where the Green Hairstreak came from.

[Phil Bowler]

Looking through my photos I came across this one which I feel really captures the feel of our butterfly garden, in the area where the meadow merges into the woodland garden.

[Wurzel]

That looks like an awesome garden , loved flicking through the website as well - sterling work

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

First class information on your website, Phil. Thanks for flagging it up again in your recent email.

That nectar-rich corner looks positively intoxicating and I'm sure it attracts insects of all sorts.

[Phil Bowler]

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF A HOME FOR BUTTERFLIES!


2022 is the 25th year of our butterfly garden project, so I thought I would celebrate the anniversary on this site, over several instalments, by choosing photos that best describe the landmark events over the years. It may be a large garden to many but being only an acre in size makes it far too small to qualify for SSSI status or similar, but it is a special site, especially considering it is situated within miles of arable fenland farmland. What we have achieved is phenomenal and certainly worthy of celebration!

Visiting Ros' mum, who had moved into the area back in 1994, we became aware of the good numbers of butterflies found on the many intersecting flowery dyke banks, particularly the Essex Skipper, far outnumbering the Small, plus decent numbers of Small Heath and Wall Brown. This set the seed for us following suit and also moving over from Derbyshire, and when a neighbouring property became available with an acre of land - a blank canvas - the temptation to create a butterfly garden from scratch was just too much to ignore!

A very early shot taken in May 1998 of the initial tree planting in what would become the woodland garden.

Ten years on - the same area now colonised with young trees and flowery glades.

A more recent shot.

Pathway through the woodland garden - we regard it as a woodland ride.

Essex Skippers became residents from the word go.

Essex Skipper showing the unmistakable antennae tips.

The Small Heath stayed with us for a few years before disappearing until recent times - it appears to be making a comeback.

If only the same were true of the Wall Brown.

[Wurzel]

Cracking images Phil I'd love a garden like this You never know with the Wall - they seem to be slowly making a come back at inland sites in Wiltshire and have started creeping over the border into Hampshire so fingers crossed they could come back one day

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Phil Bowler]

Fingers crossed indeed. Thanks, Wurzel. Watch this space!

[David M]

What a fabulous job you’ve done with what looked, in the late 90s, like a rather barren and unloved tract of land.

It’s now an oasis and no wonder you have plenty of insects paying a visit. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Phil Bowler]

Thanks David.
The really fascinating thing is though..... where do they come from?!

[David M]

..... where do they come from?!

If you offer sufficient larval host plants and nectar sources, they will find it, Phil. What's more, if the general surrounding area is rather bereft of such things of interest, those butterflies that do visit will likely stay longer.

[Phil Bowler]

I totally agree with your response, David, but what of the Green Hairstreak? It is highly unlikely that there is the remnants of an ancient colony anywhere near our garden, and they are of course not a mobile species. Same with the Purples to an extent.

[David M]

Depends what you mean by 'mobile', Phil. Females will often wander a few kilometres to lay eggs, so if there are sites within 5-10km of you, then should you design things so that they would be attracted, they will eventually find what you have prepared.

[Chris L]

What a wonderful butterfly garden Phil. Congratulations.

[Phil Bowler]

MAJOR CLOUDED YELLOW PHENOMENON IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

As far as I am aware, the phenomenon described below has only been matched by two other similar situations this year. Ours was in rural Lincolnshire, and I read reports of similar happenings in Northamptonshire and Dorset. A neighbouring field, just down the lane from us had been planted with a mix of red clover, vetches, and bird's-foot trefoil as part of an environmental stewardship scheme. At the end of August we biked by this field and noticed the colourful mass of the above plants in full flower. I jokingly remarked that we must keep our eyes on this in case of Clouded Yellows. How right I was!! On the 7th September we came across 6 Clouded Yellows flying backwards and forwards throughout the field, always returning if they went over the boundary. One was a helice! The friendly farmer saw us looking and gave us permission to roam through the field as it was due for being cut in the next few days. He was very pleasantly surprised to see these wonderful migrant butterflies that his crop had attracted and would hold back from cutting this particular field as long as possible. He had two others in the area, but we never saw any Clouded Yellows in those. This one was slightly further south and for incoming migrants earlier in the year would likely have been the first one they came across. We believe these fresh butterflies to be their offspring. A few Common Blues were also seen on the trefoil. As the days went by Clouded Yellow numbers began to increase and on the 13th we counted at least 35, including a few typical females, a mating pair, and now 3 helice! Unfortunately that was it for us for we had a holiday booked from the following day, but some other enthusiasts made pilgrimages to the site and on the 15th a phenomenal 63 were counted!
Without doubt this has been the highlight of my butterfly year and so ironic that I was planning a long distance trip to Kent or Dorset in the hope of at long last getting some decent photos of Clouded Yellow, only to have them arrive on our doorstep almost and in huge numbers!
There is a wild patch next to the clover field, itself having clover growing in it, so there is always the possibility that a few larvae could survive (winter permitting) and start the cycle off again next year, especially as the farmer is going to run the stewardship scheme again.

PHOTO 1. The clover field where all the action took place.

PHOTO 2. Two Clouded Yellows meeting over a clover lunch.

PHOTO 3. Ensuring the continuation of the species: "Just hang on in there, babe!"

PHOTO 4. An open-winged helice female being serenaded by a male.

[trevor]

You must be very pleased with photo 4. Stunning!

Trevor.

[Phil Bowler]

Indeed I am. It was quite a windy day otherwise the picture would have been sharper, but I don't mind, it was a case of being in the right place at the right time.

[Wurzel]

A cracking read Phil with cracking shots to boot, especially the last one - that's brill Butterflies do seem to have a way of usurping your best laid plans and turning up unexpectedly. I saw my first Brostreak this year in the middle of the city centre

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Lovely, uplifting story, Phil. Your instincts proved correct.

You should enter your last image in the annual photography competition that's just been launched. Can't be too many Clouded Yellow pairs captured with both sexes' showing their upperwings simultaneously....and with the female a helice!!