... and her name was Vanessa
Anyway, before we see more of Vanessa and her ilk, here's a summery tune to accompany your scrolling:
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Dolce Vita
This tatty silver-washed fritillary alternated between feeding...
The unglamorous large - or "cabbage" - white
Here's the painted lady, Vanessa cardui
She's sharing her buddleia with a small tortoiseshell
The tortoiseshell was quite shy and kept its wings closed much of the time
This is the best "wings open" shot I managed
Sharing the buddleia with a peacock butterfly
Usually quite the show-offs, this peacock was also difficult to get a shot of in a "wings open" position
Hiding in the shade
Somewhat out of focus, but there's a red admiral in the lower left corner
Red admirals really are stunning!
A gatekeeper
Gatekeepers don't often come into the garden like this, but there are plenty of them over the embankment in the allotments and fields beyond where I walk Bitey
This one is enjoying some hebe nectar
I'll leave you with this tiny bee who is also visiting the hebe flowers.
Butterflies coming to drink from Ἥβη, goddess of youth.
ReplyDeleteThank you IDV.
You're very welcome, dear Mago. Perhaps we should all sip a hebe's nectar once in a while?
DeleteSo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou could see some of these (or very similar butterflies) in Idaho, such as the fritillary and painted lady.
DeleteIf we had a bigger garden, one of the first plants I'd make room for is a Buddlea. The plant is, admittedly, an ugly and straggly shrub (and has an unfortunate association with self-seeding in derelict walls and railway tracks), but those flowers are an absolute joy - and it has some lovely cultivars with really deep colours!
ReplyDeleteAs it stands, we get occasional visits from the local butterflies (mainly gatekeepers and whites), but having four different kinds of phlox in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers means we do get some impressive moths, including the hummingbird hawk moth and the "Jersey Tiger"... Jx
Even though it is more unruly than Ms Scarlet's Big Pink Bush™, I love to see buddleia colonising derelicts and waste ground. The flowers' scent is rather heady, and they're always covered in butterflies and bees.
DeleteThere are some dwarf varieties that may be suitable for your now much sunnier garden, Jon, and they seem to do well in pots and don't mind a severe pruning. The one in my photos is a dwarf - although, it is rather larger than expected (but is not as tall as me, and remains quite dense and compact). I don't know the name/cultivar, though.
It's been a joy to see the butterflies this year. I read that it's down to us having a very sunny Spring. I was going to take some butterfly pics yesterday, but never had my phone handy at the right moment. We have an abundance of Red Admirals - and the Whites are back.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mr Devine!
Sx
Yes, it's been a very good year for butterflies and moths, hasn't it! Although common, I think Red Admirals may be my favourite - but I love seeing the unusual visitors like the fritillary (there were loads around when I was a child) and hope to see a Purple Emperor one day.
DeleteWhat a Joy. You must have had the patience of a saint to get that those shots.
ReplyDeleteI was stooped over the buddleia and hebe for quite some time, Madam A...
DeleteI loved these Images.
ReplyDeleteButterflies are endlessly fascinating, aren't they, Bohemian. I could watch them all day!
DeleteThank you. I love buddleia and hope to have one in my next garden.The summer I was in France I saw masses of them. In Sth Qld. I planted an orange on on the driveway...and it was constantly "pruned" by wallabies!
ReplyDeleteWell, good luck to your new buddleia - I have just read that you haven't escaped them by moving to New Zealand!
DeleteI haven't seen many butterflies recently. I wonder if it's result of the fires and strange weather we've been having. xoxo I love your photos, sweetpea.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible if not probable, dear Savvy. Hopefully they will bounce back next year. Until then, feel free to gaze at mine.
DeleteSame as Savvy. Alas.
Deletehttps://theconversation.com/as-climate-change-hits-what-might-the-british-garden-of-the-future-look-like-261608
ReplyDeleteThis greenery related article may be interesting for you and other gardeners. Obviously I am not keen enough anymore to write a working hyperlink !
A fascinating article, dear Mago. There are already a few plants in the gardens here that have made it through several winters, but wouldn't have stood a chance a couple of decades or so ago.
DeleteLikewise, there are some that have only survived through manual watering - they might have to go if these hot, dry summers continue.