Where have all the butterflies come from today?

[SpikeyBush]

As they have had such a dreadful year so far it was such a joy to have over 40 butterflies in my rather modest back garden all day today. My shrubs and wildflowers were covered with them, they were even lading on me when I was sat by the pond reading the paper.

Was it just my butterfly friendly garden or was this a nationwide happening?

I've uploaded some photos here:
http://butterflygalore.weebly.com/

[ladybirder]

Oh how lovely SB, small tortoiseshells. What a joy for you. Lovely pictures. So jealous I am:-)

[MASS1961]

I have also noticed an a lot more here (the same as the ones in your link I think, I may be wrong).
Maybe there is an abundance of food for them or less predators, I don't know

[douglas9401]

Don't know the reason but there were loads on show on the road to Inverness on Friday.

[mike11111]

"Where Have All The Butterflies Come From..."
Larvae and cocoons.

[douglas9401]

Literopterist

[gness]

No answer for you but had to say...lovely photos.

[boxtops]

It's the heat, at last - they come out to breed while they can! Same with bumblebees, in the last week my neighbour's lavender has been alive with the furry chaps.

[LoftyLottie]

Wonderful to see them all. Our nasturtiums are beaten eaten up by hundreds of cabbage white caterpillars, but that is life. I keep removing the caterpillars to the stinging nettles in the ditch behind our garden!!!

[chaptazbru]

Great photos, thanks so much for sharing. Poor butterflies have had an awful summer so I think they're taking advantage of the late good weather !

[tenrec]

Thanks for sharing. Your garden must be lovely. There have been so few around this year.

[jomifl]

On another thread some one was remarking the lack of songbirds, many of which eat butterflies and their larvae.

[08012006]

Lucky you; do like the photos

[Barmaid]

They are lovely Spikey.

We've recently had loads of butterflies on the buddliea. I didn't notice Mr BM out there today cutting it back. By the time I yelled "stop" it was too late. So no more butterflies in this garden!!! Grrrrrrr.

[firewatch]

Wow, I had quite a few today when i was mowing the lawn and had to keep stopping to shoo them on.

[SpikeyBush]

My garden, tenrec, is far from 'lovely' in the conventional sense. I spend so much time abroad it is a tad overgrown and full of wildflowers as a result. A haven in the urban sprawl for bees, songbirds and butterflies.

[ladybirder]

Just how a garden should be spikey, in my opinion.

[SpikeyBush]

Those teasels are all self-sown and I planted the buddlieas because they'd be low maintenance. There's a devils bit scabious in a boggy bit by the pond for the moths and every evening Fred the frog and his mates hop out for a bit of slug control.

[ladybirder]

Wonderful, and do you have any hedgehogs visiting?

[starone]

That's fantastic spikey. Thanks for sharing.

[bizzylizzy]

What great photographs. Lucky you, it's been an awful year here for Butterflies. Apparently the only ones to have done well are the Meadow Browns. We tried feeding them using a brightly coloured sponge in a tray of sugar water, as recommended on the web. They ignored it :-( I think the modern garden with all of its minimal features such as decking and concrete are sadly not giving Butterflies a place to feed. Your garden obviously does, fantastic for them.