Butterflies that don't just flutter by!

I've had a wonderful day working out in my own garden for a change and just having time to really enjoy what we've got here and to reflect back to the day we bought this place and realise just quite how much the garden has come on.

Since the warmer weather has arrived and with many more plants in flower, there has been a steady increase in the numbers and varieties of butterflies which can be seen fluttering from one clump of plants to the next - interesting too that different ones seem to take a liking for different plants - so if you take time to discover what certain butterflies like then you stand a greater chance of encouraging them into your garden - obviously it's also important to provide a good source of food for the caterpillars too - nettles are one of the favorites! One little book that I've found invaluable is the Collins Nature Guide to Butterlies and Moths of Britain and Europe - it provides good detail on habitats of the butterfly and caterpillar and favorite foods!

I even saw our first Swallow Tail butterfly the other day - one of the occasions when I didn't have my camera.

However, we've had a number of Orange Tips (female has no orange on her at all!), some wonderful Brimstones and a Red Admiral which I've managed to get pictures of - there are others which I'll post up in due course!

The Orange Tip seems to be partial to the Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), wheras the Brimstone loves Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) and the Red Admiral seems to make a bee-line for the Cephalaria gigantea (a pale yellow giant version of a Scabious).

I also thought I'd add these whilst on the subject of insects visiting our garden...

A beautiful Damsel Fly on the Crocosmia leaves

and another little grasshopper in the middle of one of the poppy heads!

and another Damsel Fly doing her acrobatics in the grass...

and last but not least the bees cannot be left out - having a wonderful time in the Sage!