Where are the butterflies?
Discussion
Yep, insects have taken a big hit over the past few decades.
Can't help that we are destroying large tracts of the countryside to make way for wimpy houses for our expanding population.
Successive governments have done a spectacularly useless job in protecting the 'british way of life'.
Can't help that we are destroying large tracts of the countryside to make way for wimpy houses for our expanding population.
Successive governments have done a spectacularly useless job in protecting the 'british way of life'.
Quite a few out on the nature reserve and down the lanes, including hornets. We usually get a good few in the garden but not many yet. The Lavender we have usually has the bumbles coming in thick and fast and it is just starting to flower, hopefully they keep the bees in business again this year.
Sorting out an area of the garden for wild flowers but not finished it yet. Idea is, wait for it.................wild flowers. All insect friendly with e few insect houses dotted around.
Not a big garden but every little helps.
Plums will probably get wasps in but what the heck, natures assassins. Just don't be around in August.
Sorting out an area of the garden for wild flowers but not finished it yet. Idea is, wait for it.................wild flowers. All insect friendly with e few insect houses dotted around.
Not a big garden but every little helps.
Plums will probably get wasps in but what the heck, natures assassins. Just don't be around in August.
If you're looking for statistics, analysis and long-term trend data, your best bet is the Butterfly Conservation Trust reports:
http://butterfly-conservation.org/1643/the-state-o...
http://butterfly-conservation.org/1643/the-state-o...
I've seen loads this year, more weather dependent than anything else. A few varieties can be seen over long periods but most have a particular window, so it you don't happen to be looking/go for a walk at just the right time you get the impression there are not many.
Couldn't move for marbled whites last week, few days from now you won't see any.
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/flighttimes_by_date...
In my experience Buddleia is misnamed aka Butterfly bush and indeed some colour varieties aren't attractive to butterflies at all, and those butterflies that are attracted tend to be the later season or all year varieties.
Couldn't move for marbled whites last week, few days from now you won't see any.
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/flighttimes_by_date...
In my experience Buddleia is misnamed aka Butterfly bush and indeed some colour varieties aren't attractive to butterflies at all, and those butterflies that are attracted tend to be the later season or all year varieties.
But usually when you look at a buddleia you'll see torts and peacocks and the occasional red admiral. There are lots of buddleia's around here and nothings feeding on them. I know red admirals migrate but torts and peacocks often winter over. I know a country lane with a selection of ancient hedgerow/plants. It's usually got an extensive selection of species. I'll go next week to see what's feeding on them.
I've seen a smattering of both so far.
It's the off season for adult Peacocks at the moment, and a second later batch doesn't always occur - weather again - I think they are extending their range so not in danger really.
And most Red Admirals you see are migrants so again very weather dependent if they make it here or not, and although you can even see them just about anytime of the year - the odd one on a mild winter's day even, they really peak in late summer/autumn in my experience gorging on rotten fruit juices.
It's the off season for adult Peacocks at the moment, and a second later batch doesn't always occur - weather again - I think they are extending their range so not in danger really.
And most Red Admirals you see are migrants so again very weather dependent if they make it here or not, and although you can even see them just about anytime of the year - the odd one on a mild winter's day even, they really peak in late summer/autumn in my experience gorging on rotten fruit juices.
Pretty much all UK butterflies are in decline and have been since the 1970s. There is little space left for them to live, breed and eat. You can join the Big Butterfly Count that is underway in July and August 2017.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/07/13/sir-...
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/07/13/sir-...
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org
Yipper said:
Pretty much all UK butterflies are in decline and have been since the 1970s. There is little space left for them to live, breed and eat. You can join the Big Butterfly Count that is underway in July and August 2017.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/07/13/sir-...
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org
Yes Yipper, we know the stories in the press, it's normally part of pushing the climate change agenda - trouble is they can't get their story straight and Attenborough has no credibility left anyway.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/07/13/sir-...
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org
There is no meaningful data baseline to make a judgment - however, butterflies, birds, etc., as I explained before, go through cycles of boom and bust.
These citizen science surveys are worthless, sighting butterflies and the numbers is highly dependent on a number of factors - just because you see none/none are flying does not mean there are not millions near by.
As a lifelong countryside lover with 60 years of actual experience, I can tell you, there is not a problem.
Mr GrimNasty said:
Yipper said:
Pretty much all UK butterflies are in decline and have been since the 1970s. There is little space left for them to live, breed and eat. You can join the Big Butterfly Count that is underway in July and August 2017.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/07/13/sir-...
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org
Yes Yipper, we know the stories in the press, it's normally part of pushing the climate change agenda - trouble is they can't get their story straight and Attenborough has no credibility left anyway.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/07/13/sir-...
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org
There is no meaningful data baseline to make a judgment - however, butterflies, birds, etc., as I explained before, go through cycles of boom and bust.
These citizen science surveys are worthless, sighting butterflies and the numbers is highly dependent on a number of factors - just because you see none/none are flying does not mean there are not millions near by.
As a lifelong countryside lover with 60 years of actual experience, I can tell you, there is not a problem.
Gardener's World yesterday had lots of butterflies caught in shot accidentally and framed - Comma, Red Admiral, loads of browns.
Talking of bad science, Countryfile (BBC so relentless climate change agenda crap) was pushing the butterflies doomed narrative last week as well - the 'first emergent' dates for each variety were getting sooner and sooner and potentially out of syn. with food plants.
How do they 'know' this. Thank the Victorian butterfly collectors who dated their specimens. Yes, we are expected to believe a few specimens captured potentially at any point in their season equates to lots of people constantly monitoring and reporting the first appearance each year!
Now I'm sure as weather gets generally warmer they do come out at different times, but so do the host plants. Not only that, the UK has experienced vast temperature and weather related climate change in the past and the butterflies are still here. Well worth looking up books by H.H.Lamb if you want to learn how massively varied the climate of the UK has been over the last few 1000 years. It certainly puts the supposed 'risk' of modern climate change into context.
Nature always adapts, and yes, sometimes that means one species/variety dies out, but another always fills its place - nature abhors a vacuum. It is naive to thing that you can preserve the natural world in aspic, and that any change is bad.
Talking of bad science, Countryfile (BBC so relentless climate change agenda crap) was pushing the butterflies doomed narrative last week as well - the 'first emergent' dates for each variety were getting sooner and sooner and potentially out of syn. with food plants.
How do they 'know' this. Thank the Victorian butterfly collectors who dated their specimens. Yes, we are expected to believe a few specimens captured potentially at any point in their season equates to lots of people constantly monitoring and reporting the first appearance each year!
Now I'm sure as weather gets generally warmer they do come out at different times, but so do the host plants. Not only that, the UK has experienced vast temperature and weather related climate change in the past and the butterflies are still here. Well worth looking up books by H.H.Lamb if you want to learn how massively varied the climate of the UK has been over the last few 1000 years. It certainly puts the supposed 'risk' of modern climate change into context.
Nature always adapts, and yes, sometimes that means one species/variety dies out, but another always fills its place - nature abhors a vacuum. It is naive to thing that you can preserve the natural world in aspic, and that any change is bad.
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