Butterflies....and bees

Sive · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 1:24 pm Post subject: Butterflies....and bees

All my buddleias and lavenders are now blooming, but I don't see the normal frenetic activity on them.....hardly a butterfly or bee in the vicinity. Admittedly it's very overcast, but it is very warm too. Is my experience unusual ? What have others noticed....?

kindredspirit · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 1:27 pm Post subject:

I haven't seen one butterfly on my butterfly bush yet. Not one!

I've different types of bumble bees in the garden alright but no honey bees, thank goodness. I love bumble bees.

Keith g · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 4:47 pm Post subject: Re:

Same here in Cavan too, not a single butterfly to be seen on my buddleia's. I've also noticed quite a drop off in the number of bumblebees around during the daytime even though as you say the flowers are in bloom.

I think that it is a bit strange Question

K

Greengage · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:09 pm Post subject:

Lots of bumblebees about i contribute to the bumblebee monitoring scheme and lots about since March. As for no butterflies on the buddleia they are busy feeding elsewhere but the will find it dont worry.

Kim · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:43 pm Post subject:

Our buddleia is not in bloom yet. I believe that the timing of the first blooms depend on when it has been cut back and one can cut it so that the blooms coincide with the best time for butterflies, anyone else heard of this? I really can't remember when I cut mine but I would hazard a guess at late winter early spring.

We do have butterflies in the garden but I couldn't say what I have seen them on.

Sive · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 5:59 pm Post subject:

I had the idea of checking through some of my last year's photos and am amazed to see that it was around the third week in August that my lavender and buddleias were covered in butterflies....... a whole month away yet....so maybe I'm worrying unnecessarily....though I can't see these blooms lasting for another month.
I wonder whether things are blooming earlier this year because of the mild winter/wet spring/and warm summer ?
Incidentally, I always give my buddleias a fairly hard pruning in February, so I haven't varied that routine.

Kim · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 6:50 pm Post subject:

It has been a very early year with a mild spring and wonderful summer weather so far. It wouldn't surprise me if they are a little earlier than usual. The buddleias do have a long flower time with the side shoot flowers (sorry my botanical vocabulary is sorely lacking!) following on from the first central ones.

I think I remember reading about not cutting the Buddleias back too early just after I had cut mine. I think of Butterfly season as August and September, with Buddleias, Marjoram, Sedum and Aster being the best magnets in our garden. The marjoram flowers are on the brink of opening now and Buddleias another week or two to go.

Sive · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 10:14 pm Post subject:

Thanks Kim, I had never really thought about when it was that butterflies appeared...I just had this memory of watching lots of them ( mainly small tortoiseshells ) on my lavenders last year. I know little about the life cycle of butterflies, so time for me to do some research I think !

Good guy · Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 11:08 am Post subject: Too good at weeding!

Reading this thread, I am reminded that I haven't seen any of these beautiful creatures in my garden this year. I must have been too assiduous in weeding out the ragwort. Time to let some grow, I think! (NB, photos not mine).

mcgrueser · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:48 am Post subject:

It's funny that you mention these beautiful moths, Good Guy, because I'd never seen them before and I took these couple of pics back on 12th June meaning to post and ask what they were.

The photos, which aren't great quality because it's my phone camera, were taken down in Rathdrum in Wicklow. I hope plenty of other people have seen them around the country too because they really are lovely

Good guy · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:26 pm Post subject:

Just let some ragwort grow and you may well get them.
It's a much maligned plant, harmless so long as your livestock don't eat it. It stands so stately and tall and with such a colour. I read somewhere that it plays a part in the life cycle of 35 or more critters.

Sive · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 1:53 pm Post subject:

Finally....I see a few butterflies on the lavender today, so maybe I was expecting them too early. It's good to see them though.

Good guy · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:07 pm Post subject:

I stopped by our local butterfly garden today and it is blooming well and had a few small whites. I didn't stay long as I was in a hurry. It's a bit of a mess, not that the butterflies would mind, so I texted one of the An Taisce people I know, to get them to give it a tidy now and an overhaul in the autumn.
I designed the garden for the local An Taisce and it was opened in 2008. I'm pleased with how the concept has worked, but it does need some maintenance. There are pics of it here, somewhere, on a thread about stonework, if anyone is interested.

tagwex · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:18 pm Post subject:

You will have to be more specific than that with the thread name or else it could be a long search.

Kim · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:15 am Post subject:

Search for "butterfly garden an taisce" worked surprisingly well if this is right...

http://www.gardenplansireland.com/forum/about5128-45.html,

Looks like a lovely space.