Butterflies & Moths 2020

I tolerate a few nettle patches (barely, I hate the burgers and react very badly to nettle stings) just for the butterflies. Where I grew up, just at the start of the great monoculture, pesticide and herbicide massacre that began in the late sixties, I remember huge nettle and thistle patches in the fields with clouds of butterflies, large numbers of blues along with all the rainbow. I'm now trying to persuade myself to grow thistles... but one of the neighbours backing onto my garden hates me already and keeps doing a crafty squirt of weedkiller over the fence when I'm not home. I'll have to grow them at the other side of the garden but that's a bit shaded.

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!

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

While we're chatting Wendy - the caterpillars are quite big now and definitely look like cabbage moth - but apparently quaker and yellow underwings are very similar. I'll get some more pics tomorrow.

I had a quick look at the microscope, it's more of a magnifier really, fine for what I need but overpriced - there are cheaper ones that do the same (but this one has its own app, for the phone and pc which I wanted so that might have been why it was more expensive for what it is). Typically of me life is getting in the way and I haven't had time to play with it yet but hopefully will do soon.

Look forward to pics jps!

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 

A fine selection.

Lovely stuff Caroline, nice moffs!