Maybe I am taking this rather too personally but my buddleia - way too big and ungainly for my small garden but usually great for the wildlife - doesn't seem to have hosted a single butterfly yet.
Is this just me or has anyone else noticed a dearth of butterflies this summer?
Update: I spoke to Butterfly Conservation today and anecdotally at least I am not alone - butterfly numbers appear to be down this year, although that's yet to be confirmed by the charity whose band of butterfly spotters are still at work.
It's suspected to be down to last year's poor weather which affected reproduction, and also because there hasn't been much sunshine, and butterflies only fly in sunshine. This is all rather timely because Saturday marks the start of Save Our Butterflies Week.
Definately less butterflies here even in the North Notts countryside.
Maybe the damp weather is to blame as they need pollen and flowers are careful to conserve pollen and only produce it when it will be effective.I also wonder if theres less wild areas left with people selling off their gardens for houses and less fallow land due to high crop prices.
Even the high up-take of allotments may be making a difference,less nettle patches and bramble jungles for them.
Maybe we should leave a few tatty corners for the wild-life
Posted by: Natalie El-Barrawi | July 17, 2008 at 03:14 PM
This year we have lots of butterflies in our garden (Belgium)... but not on the buddleia yet.
I have noticed before that, when I prune my buddleia in early spring (and thus it flowers in august, not yet in july), there are definitely more butterflies on it than in the years that I didn't have/take the time for pruning.
I always see many red atalanta's and small tortoiseshells on my buddleia, and I suppose that they find enough other flowers in july, while there are less flowers in august/september
Posted by: AnneTanne | July 17, 2008 at 06:07 PM
Now you come to mention it I haven't seen as many butterflies this year, but if that means there are fewer cabbage whites on my broccoli then that is at least a silver lining to the cloud.
Posted by: Matron | July 19, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Definitely agree. Though absolutely ENORMOUS numbers of ladybird larvae... anyone else notice that?
Posted by: emma townshend | July 19, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Oh my gosh. Was just saying the same thing to a fellow gardener in Texas.
Posted by: Tammy | July 23, 2008 at 01:02 AM
I've noticed this as well - we've had a few cabbage whites but hardly anything else. It's a bit worrying really. 2 of my buddlieas are ready for the taking, another one will be a bit later on, but there don't seem to be many interested parties. I wonder if the cold, wet start to summer is to blame?
Posted by: Lucy @ Smallest Smallholding | July 26, 2008 at 01:40 PM