Hi All, I took an executive decision & decided to amalgamate the Butterfly & Moth threads which may make it easier to find if it's used more!
These are the old threads from 2019 Beautiful butterflies https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/200195/beautiful-butterflies-2019#pifragment-4285=1
& Mostly Moths https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/198118/mostly-moths-2019/1273216#pifragment-4285=1
To start us off here are a few from the recent traps & wine rope,
this is a lovely Satelite from the 8th january
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
What a pain to have a neighbour like that!! I was lucky enough to have a nettle patch this year much to OH's displeasure, but have just had to prune it to get to plants behind for a bit of a tidy ... made plenty of seed though so no doubt will regrow! Grew a Cardoon in front garden couple of years ago, created much interest amongst neighbours who were watching to see what flowerheads this monstrous plant would produce!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
This is my very tatty looking cardoon with one patch of said nettles under it... various bees and hoverflies love it but I've never seen a butterfly nectaring on it. Occasionally one will land but it doesn't seem to be right for them. Did you leave the heads on yours over winter? I always do and the sparrows go mad for the thistle down in nesting season.
Unfortunately had to remove it due to a frenzied attack from bindweed, dug up half the garden plants to clean them & the ground up then put weedproof membrane down & replanted in pots for a year!
Ahh our old friend bindweed. I've caved and let it have a run on parts of the hedge - I have a no-dig garden so when it gets a bit mad I just pull or snip it out. I do let some patches go though, because it's the larval food plant of the white plume moth (or fairies, as I liked to call them when I was little) and try as I might, I can't hate the flowers
Managed to set the moth trap out on Saturday and there were some interesting visitors
My 2nd Portland Ribbon Wave
Burnished Brass living up to it's name
I think a Square-spot Rustic
Crescent Dart
A V-pug that was really green
Garden Carpet
and last but not least...
A slightly damaged Rosy Underwing - they were first recorded on the Island in 2002 and are now believed to be resident
No trading for a bit as the weathers gone pants
Cin J
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Nige Flickr