The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Yesterday took a butterfly count on the buddleias. 42.
Most of them peacocks.
3 red admiral
3 comma
2 gatekeeper
2 meadow brown
1 painted lady
Large whites
Small whites
green veined whites
2 wall
2 brimstone in the afternoon.
Not one tortoiseshell.

Colin Pumfrett.

Colin,
I think you'll agree that's more encouraging garden news for you than for some time, especially with an 11 species count. Let's hope this week brightens up after today's cloud. I had 9 species in the garden in Bracebridge Heath over the Holiday weekend. Strangely enough, in contrast to your list, I had (maxima shown) :

Speckled Wood - 2
Holly Blue - 2
Common Blue - 2
Small Tortoiseshell - 1
Meadow Brown - 1
Peacock - 2/3
plus the 3 Whites
Sunflowers and Marjoram are the main attractions in my garden now that the first main flush of Buddleia has gone over.

Regards,

Freddy

Hi Freddy.
Just got my computer back from the shop,memory upgrade.
About time i got a good butterfly count, the wall and brimstone my first for the garden this year, my buddleias are still very much in flower due to pruning them last week in March. I have made a new butterfly bed, 2.5m x 5m in the garden, trying to copy the butterfly garden in Chambers wood,i have planted 16 sedums, 16 marjorams, 5 lavendar, 3 standard buddleias and i am waiting for 16 Hyssop,
should be very interesting next year.

Colin Pumfrett.

Hi Colin,
I think the Joe Duddington Memorial Garden at Chambers Farm Wood is as good a model as any to copy. It is a MUST to visit as a garden, let alone the many species of butterfly it attracts.
My No. 1 'must have' butterfly plant is Marjoram - it attracts so many species of butterfly, bee and other insects and, as it is a low plant, one can look down towards the butterflies, etc. and get excellent views. In addition, I find its scent quite extraordinary..
Good luck for next year's flowering!

Regards,

Freddy