Tuesday 29 August 2017

Butterflies

Thank you for all your lovely comments about little Zackary. I'm getting lots of nanny cuddles in and have been left to babysit while Adam and Holly have viewed a couple of houses. I can't believe quite how beautiful he is and it still feels a bit surreal to think I'm a nanny. I've found it rather interesting how it's made me think about my place in the scheme of things, about my own lovely grandparents who have been gone a long time now and generations before them, about future generations too.

We popped to one of our local garden centres the other day, just for a mosey around and a cup of tea, we're lucky that we have a few in the area to choose from. The only butterflies we seem to have in our garden are the cabbage whites after our vegetables, so I was thrilled to see these beauties fluttering around.





Beautiful Peacock butterflies on the Buddleja, there were quite a few flying around and settling on the flowers.








Also a Red Admiral, I don't remember the last time I saw one of these gorgeous specimens.




We were quite taken with them and spent a while walking around the flowers and just watching the butterflies. It made me wonder if we should grow some Buddleja to try and attract some butterflies, though I suppose it's no guarantee.

Do you get many butterflies in your area? Do you recommend planting anything in particular to encourage butterflies to come and visit us?


Take care
xxx




41 comments:

  1. Those butterflies are beautiful. What an array.
    Isn't being a grandma just the best thing ever! May Zachary live long in the best of health and always bring you so much joy!!

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    1. Thank you and yes, being a grandma is definitely wonderful x

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  2. The butterflies are beautiful. We get a few in the garden but we see an abundance of them when we walk through the fields where the wild flowers are. X

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  3. Definitely Buddlea. Bees and Butterflies are our future.

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    1. They certainly are. We get plenty of bees, it's just the butterflies we're short on x

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  4. I have Painted Ladies in the garden, but so far no Peacocks. I would always have a Buddleia somewhere in the garden.

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    1. I think I shall make it a must for the garden next year x

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  5. We have a buddliea and get lots of beautiful butterflies x

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    1. I find them so beautiful to sit and watch, nature at its best x

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  6. Beautiful photos. I get a lot of butterflies and hummingbirds in my garden. They love the sunflowers, hollyhocks,California poppies, fruit trees, and native trees.

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    1. Hummingbirds are amazing little things aren't they! We had sunflowers and Californian poppies, hopefully the Buddleja will make a difference x

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  7. I'm afraid I really don't like butterflies, I think they are pretty but I get seriously panicked if one comes near me, I think it's the fluttering. Although even looking at photos of them makes me shudder!!
    Glad you are getting plenty of Nanny cuddles with Zachary 😊

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    1. Sorry Maggie, I don't think it occurred to me they could be scary, but I understand how the fluttering could be unnerving, I'm not a big fan of moths and they aren't really that different x

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  8. We have swallow tails (I think that's what they are called). Your butterflies are lovely!
    Isn't being a granny the BEST?

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    1. I shall have to look up Swallowtails. Yes, it truly is the BEST x

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  9. I enjoy watching butterflies too. They are so pretty.
    We get a lot of butterflies around the cone flowers in the yard. They also like the sunflowers. Lots of Goldfinches too come around and eat the sunflower seeds and also the cone flower seeds. The cone flowers sit outside our dining room window and the finches come around when we are eating supper. So we dine with the birds. : )

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  10. Hi Cheryl, Thanks for popping by my blog and leaving a comment. Also thanks for the birthday wishes.
    Like you I mainly have the Cabbage White butterflies with an occasional Painted Lady ( they're only ever on the Zinnias).

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    1. I'm sure when I was young we used to have far more butterflies in the garden, perhaps there are more cabbage whites about now x

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  11. Great photos. Cabbage white here too.....grrrrrrr

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  12. Dear Cheryl
    Congratulations on being a nana/gran. It's a very special relationship. My gran taught me so much about nature and plants and I think it is through her that I have become a passionate gardener. I hope she would be pleased.
    Buddliea/Buddleja is a great plant for butterflies - I have a dwarf variety in my garden which has been in flower since July (although it isn't that dwarf - I don't think it read its own label). Another good plant is Verbena Bonariensis which I grew from seed successfully (and it was easy to grow too). It is a lovely, tall, airy plant.
    Keep enjoying those cuddles!
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Thank you, I'm loving every minute of it, and for the plant recommendations x

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  13. Being a Grandparent is such a special gift, I thank God for my six everyday. They certainly do bring so much joy. Great butterfly photos.

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    1. I wondered how it would feel, wonderful is definitely the answer x

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  14. Milkweed, fennel or dill, butterfly bush (although they can be invasive). We have lots and lots of butterflies!

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    1. You live in such a beautiful area, much more rural than where we are x

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  15. Milkweed, fennel or dill, butterfly bush (although they can be invasive). We have lots and lots of butterflies!

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  16. It must be a wonderful thing being a nanny, there haven't been any babies in our family since Eleanor so it'll be lovely when another one comes along, though I doubt that will be for some time yet. Sedum is a brilliant plant if you want to attract butterflies into the garden, it's a late bloomer too so it gives a bit of welcome colour when lots of other flowers are past their best.

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    1. Sedum, I shall look into growing one, I like the idea of it being a late bloomer too x

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  17. Not too many butterflies in my area but we don't have a lot of blooms in our yard. They are amazing creatures. I like how they flutter around so gracefully.
    xx Beca

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  18. We haven't seen that many butterflies around here this year but them everyone is paving or decking mad removing all of the bushes and flowers.
    I wish people would think ahead and realise that we can't keep taking the shrubs and flowers away and expect the wildlife to survive.
    Great photos.
    Briony
    x

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    1. I know what you mean, our poor bees need more flowers too. Hopefully people are starting to realise how we need to help our wildlife x

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  19. Those butterflies are just beautiful, lovely photo's.
    Yes, they do like Buddleia so why not give it try!
    Some of my friends have a wild-flower part in their gardens and quite often butterflies are attracted.

    Enjoy this last day of August and my good wishes for September.

    All the best Jan

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    1. A wildflower meadow would be a dream, full of bees and butterflies x

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  20. Lots of cabbage whites about, cant remember when I last saw a Red Admiral either, but I did see a blue one at the weekend, you've just reminded me to look up what it was.

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  21. So pretty.
    Just can't bring myself to like Buddleia plants, they just seed themselves anywhere and always look straggly and unruly by railways!
    Lisa x

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  22. First of all, huge congratulations on the birth of your beautiful grandson! I've just been scrolling back through your posts and he really is gorgeous. I don't think we see as many butterflies around now as when I was little, but I'm sure any pollinator friendly plants would help.

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