I was very impressed last weekend with the number of Butterflies I saw... It's a shame the weather this week has been so mixed and rainy that I fear many may not have survived.
I didn't manage to catch all on camera; Whites, Small Copper and many Gatekeepers (they just would not settle!), but here are a few:
Finally, I caught my first Comma on camera…
I didn't manage to catch all on camera; Whites, Small Copper and many Gatekeepers (they just would not settle!), but here are a few:
Finally, I caught my first Comma on camera…
I saw a few of these last weekend and eventually managed to sneak up on one! Small Skipper
And then we had a visitor in the living room… A Speckled Wood…
It wasn’t quite ready to leave…
And enjoyed a good few minutes on my hand.
Whilst Pete had a go at taking some photos!
I don’t think he has any grounds to tell me he isn’t good at it.
And onto the garden…
Drumstick Alliums are dotted seemingly everywhere… Why do I have no recollection of planting so many?
Monkshood finally graces the new border, perhaps I ought to stake it next year?
Shasta Daisies in the border by the kitchen, they are growing in too much shade and need moving next year.
Flat-topped Asters have opened… They seem to be early, so much for the Autumn border!
Yarrow yet again!
And wild field poppies
Veronicastrum bought a few weeks ago, this was part of my original border plan, but for some reason I didn’t get any… I’ve no idea why not. I need more.
Sea Holly is turning blue, I look forward to the Butterflies and Bees swarming all over it again!
Lupin in its second flush.
Lavender angustifolia bought along with the Veronicastrum in memory of my Aunt who passed away very suddenly a around a month ago.
Black Lilyturf in flower, I am very pleased that both plants have survived and I may just have to get more!
16 comments:
The one you were holding is a familiar thing here, visiting our little garden again and again. the flowers are beautiful...
have a great weekend
~bangchik
Beautiful Liz, and congratulations for catching your first comma on camera. I've been chasing a beautiful dragonfly here who is camera shy, and I know I'll be thrilled when he finally sits still long enough for a photo! I think Pete's photos are lovely too.
Liz your photos are wonderful including the blooms. I how I wish I had as many beautiful butterflies visiting my garden. I only had 2 today that I saw and I chased them round the garden trying to get some photos.
There is a butterfly survey in the UK coming up soon - on my sidebar of leavesnbloom blog there are all the details. Your garden sounds like a perfect place to be for the survey.
Have a lovely weekend :) Rosie
Hi Bangchik,
I'm glad you too have Speckled Woods, we have lots here and out in the open although as the name suggests they are more known for hiding in woodland and notoriously difficult to get photographs of!
We must have strange social ones here :)
I hope you have a great weekend too!
Hi CV,
I've had a Comma around for a while but it normally zooms past me without stopping, but thankfully the flowers it likes are beginning to bloom and soon when the Buddleja is out I'll get easy shots of it like last year!
Oooh, I do hope you manage to catch the Dragonfly, I'd love some here and really ought to build a pond to attract Damselflies too.
Hi Rosie,
I am sure you will soon get your flutters, they seem to explode and suddenly they're all over the garden. Like today for example, even with the bad weather over the past week I had Butterflies everywhere I turned - photos to come another day!
We're just waiting for the 'big' ones to come now, Peacocks, Admirals and such.
Great photos as always Liz. I love the wild Poppies.
You are certainly attracting some nice flutters. I do like skippers but have never had them in the garden.
It has been so windy here in the last few days that it is difficult to get decent photos of anything especially butterflies!
I love butterflies, your garden is amazing. Great photography!
Hi Liz....lovely to see the butterflies, your garden must have plenty to offer. Pete did his best, at least he tried. You have got to remember that you have the eye for photography, most just take a picture......
My asters are way ahead.....I to am getting a little concerned as to what will be blooming in autumn. Odd year for gardening eh??
I cannot believe your monkshood are blooming. I have had mine for years and they are nowhere near flowering....perhaps they will be autumn bloomers. Ha!
Hope you have enjoyed your weekend.......
Hi again, Liz… like Perthshire neighbour Rosie I too look forward to seeing butterflies visit my garden :-)
Great pics you got there in yours. Although I have to say I did like Pete’s ones of the speckled wood on your hand indoors! I’ve never seen one of these. Wonderful flower close-ups too… they did make me smile. You must be really enjoying your garden right now :-D
That butterfly liked to sit on your hand! Did you put some sugar on it? Pretty flowers you have in your garden, Liz! And you make them all look like stars in your pictues.
Hi Jan,
Thanks, glad you like the poppies… Next year I’ll try for even more I think by sowing them in with everything else rather than sowing them on their own into small pots and then potting them on.
I think I’ve seen Skippers here before but they’re usually yet another species which doesn’t stay still long enough for me to catch – along with the Orange-tips!
Hopefully the weather is beginning to warm up again – although I do not wish for it to be quite so hot and dry as May and June were!
Hi Priscilla,
Thank you very much for visiting my blog, it’s much appreciated.
Hi Cheryl,
Oh no, I wasn’t complaining about Pete’s photos, I was saying he cannot try to tell me he’s no good, when clearly his photos are great.
I cannot quite understand why the Aster’s are flowering when it’s been so hot and dry that surely that isn’t exactly the correct signals for plants that Autumn is on its way??
Very strange indeed, these flat-topped Asters are supposed to flower in August, and yet here I am with other flowers such as Scabious which are only now just coming into flower and they should’ve been flowering for a good while.
Shame to hear you’ve been waiting for years for your Monkshood to flower… I guess it makes up for the Aquilegia I’ve waited years for, or the Agapanthus which I must’ve had for 5+ years and still I don’t have any flowers from it! Ha ha.
Hi Shirl,
My Buddleja in the front is beginning to flower now and the one in the back will not be long so hopefully it’ll bring with it a riot of Butterflies! The Sea Hollies which also attracted many Bees, Hoverflies and Butterflies are also beginning to mature – oooh exciting!
I have lots of Speckled woods around here, and it always surprises me because as their name suggests – they live in woodland. I think the most I had at one time and all in relatively close proximity were 4 last year (they’re also meant to be territorial, not only chasing off other Butterflies but also dogs and even people! Can’t say I’ve experienced it though…)
Hi Tatyana,
Nup I didn’t put anything on to attract it, I was expecting it to fly away as soon as I opened my hand but instead it sat there for a good few minutes, allowing for plenty of photos!
Sometimes it’s amazing how close animals will allow you to get to them…
On the same day as the Butterfly visit we also had a cat come into the house, a very strange day (although perhaps a cat isn’t quite so exciting)
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