Ok, so the flutter photos have been building up for a time now… So yep, lots of photos again!
We’ll start with this Large Skipper
This is my first year with the perennial wallflower ‘Bowles Mauve’ and well, what can I say? Butterflies really do like it. I always see the Small Tortoiseshell on there – it even ignores the Buddleja in preference of this! And now this skipper, I wonder what else it will attract.
It then chose to feed on the Privet blooms; if ever there was a reason to allow your privet to bloom it’s for the Butterflies and Bees. Ours is alive with insects fluttering and buzzing along it at the moment. Earlier today I even rescued a little Bee, and placed it back on the privet – full story to come another day, this post will already be long enough :)
Speckled Wood and Gatekeepers also love the privet
I’ve discovered that the Small Tortoiseshells really love the perennial wallflower, please if you haven’t already – get some! You won’t regret it, I promise :)
I think this one must be an older one as its colours are somewhat washed out, it probably over-wintered here.
Compare the colours to this one, which I assume has probably only emerged recently:
Here we had two on the same Buddleja bloom, one is lighter than the other and its wings are more tatty.
And here’s an indication of my dedication… I was laying on the grass at this point, when first a Peacock landed on a bloom a few inches away and then a Small Tortoiseshell landed on a bloom even closer…
I love how the hair is catching the light, you can really see the iridescence of their colours.
Also, here’s a good reason to have Feverfew in the garden… (look to the right, there’s a Peacock)
And, Ragwort (this Peacock butterfly actually looks fake here!)
Look how velvety the wings are? I think this must’ve also recently emerged.
And purely because it looked cute, playing peek-a-boo…
