It's been a very decent summer in the garden, for butterflies & moths. I'm gradually honing it into a real hive of activity for wildlife and it's cool to see the effort paying off.
I've done a fair bit of moth trapping where possible, attracting a steady flow of new species, however it was particularly cool to attract something a bit rarer on 01/08, with Northamptonshire's 3rd ever Gypsy Moth. However, I didn't realise the enormity of it, until a day or two later - well after I'd released it!
With the whole Covid malarkey, I've spent a lot more time working from home and as such, I've had my eyes on the garden far more. As a result, I've been chuffed to get THREE new butterfly garden ticks, taking the species total to an impressive 21 species! :
- A brief Small Skipper on 26/06
- Probably the most unusual of the three, a female Silver-Washed Fritillary which I spotted looking out the window, while brushing my teeth on the morning of the 17/07!
- An unexpected Small Copper that lingered on 11/08
As you can see, all were attracted by the decent-sized patch of Verbena we have, showing it is a garden 'must have' if you want to attract butterflies to your garden.
I've also enjoyed a nice range of the commoner species too...
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