Many Caterpillars

That's encouraging. There seems to be no shortage of butterflies here in Hungary. Maybe it's our sunnier weather.

I haven't seen hardly any butterflies this year.so it's good we can grow things to encourage them.
I'm going to try and find more plants they like for next year and I even leave some weeds and nettles in my garden incase they like those aswell ( or is that an excuse for not doing any weeding. lol)

i think the last two wet summers have something to do with the shortage of butterflies here

Might be that Eileen ? But i think its 2 do with the shortage of Rough Wild Areas & the rite foods as the chemicals Farmers use2day kill any Wild Flower ect that Feeds&Protects them :/ Even some gardeners do the same by spraying 2 rid of Garden Pests!

Definitely the weather here, Jacque, as when we had that dry and sunny week, (when was it???) out they all came and I got lots in the garden - I took photos, too! That was also the time when I kept finding caterpillars around - so the butterflies must have tried again, I suppose.

A great colourful variety Jacque.

Jacque ~ good blog.
You are obviously doing the right things to attract more butterflies and other wildlife to your garden.

Let's hope for better weather next year, and you'll have even more caterpillar photos to add to your list. :o)

I wonder what they will turn into? I tend to blame 'over-tidy' gardens for the decline in both butterflys and birds. I'm afraid wonderfully manicured gardens are just the oposite to what wildlife needs. I think there was a sharp decline in certain species that coincided with programs like Groundforce that suddenly made gardening (esp. low maint) fashionable - gardens that used to be a patch of rough grass and weeds (AKA wildflowers!) suddenly got noticed by the decking brigade and before you knew it, the country had been decked! I've got a patch of nettles behind the summerhouse that are full of holes - no idea what's making them as I can't get close enough :-)

Sid,
The biggest reason for the big decline of Caterpillars, Butterflies and certain types of Moths in the U.K is the over - zealous use of chemical pestisides and non organic farming techniques, together with the loss of the hedges and hedgerow that give them homes and breeding spaces in the countryside.Also many of the wild plants and flowers that are used by the butterflies for their egg laying have also disappeared from our natural countryside. The plants and flowers provide their food sources as well.

It is a worry Jacque ,as gardeners we all do our bit . Normally the iceplants are covered in Butterflys ,this year we hardly saw one .!

If ud like 2 see whats making them Holes Sarah in those Nettle Leafs u can find a tiny tiny Green Caterpillar feeding on my Large clump of Nettles in a Blog i did on Garden Wildlife a while back :) i let them grow in my Very Wild Area of the Garden :) ,Hopefully Amy we`l see more next yr :)

Your pictures are great, Jacque...like Chrispook, we have no shortage of butterflies but only a few varieties right here in my vicinity. Other areas closeby have more of a variety. The caterpillars come by the thousands and cross the roads and make driving hazardous. (Sounds terrible, I know but no worse than some other comments I've read lol,,,maybe that's why the variety is minimal)

I live in an arable agricultural area in South Cambs, this year has reported the fewest butterflies and ladybirds ever. I believe the farmers are back spraying pesticides more than ever and just leaving a wild border so they can claim the government grant.

How can a Field Boarder Possible work Ams when the Feild it surrounds is sprayed? Our goverment need2get their Heads out the Clouds as they do with many other topics:( What we need is same as the Wild life Conservevations have been doing in Cornwall/Devon giveing COMPLETE FEILDS back 2 MOTHER NATURE this way many of the Butterfly Speices will return as they have done in these mentioned areas of the South of England :D

~did you read about the toxic manure people have been buying?
apparently farmers had been using some enzyme to control pasture land for grazing cows-it passes straight through the cows is bagged and sold and then kills anything it is used on!
Fantastic!

OMG!!! Really !!! No wonder so Many People are Dying from Cancers Of all kinds,We dont know half really of what goes into our foods:( If we did we`d all starve2Death!!! Iv heard Cows Milk is Full Of Hormons which is given2them so they produce more milk & can effect us if we drink2much of it :( Not Good

~ the agricultural chemical/feedstuff business is huge~ not just here but in America no wonder we keep getting these food scandals when profit is put first! Look what happened in China with the contaminated milk.
We all need to grow our own veg etc!

The plastic containers themselves which contain products can apparently be harmful.

We end up not knowing what is safe.

I have photos taken in East Anglia, not many years ago, showing sedums covered with so many beautiful butterflies that the plant below was almost completely hidden.
I wonder if we'll ever see that again.

~ my daughter has been saying for years that the next big scandal will be to do with packaging-molecules in the stuff pass into the food~unwrap your meat when you get home and buy as little food in plastic packaging as possible ~

Good blog Jacque must admit i have'nt seen many butterfly's this year and not 1 ladybird.I do have quite a few sedom plants aswell. Mind you not had a summer for 2 yrs.

Pleased to report one very pretty Painted Lady butterfly basking in the sunshine on my hebe today. :o)
None at all on my Sedum spectabile. :o(

Great2hear that TT :)

Please try goats milk, does not taste any different from cow's milk and it is digested much easier. British cow's are pure milking machines, their udders are so grossly oversized many have problems when calving due to birth canal restriction not to mention the cocktail of antibiotics and hormones they are given which enter to food chain.

I like Goats Milk Ams & its great idea! Think il try&sneak it in2 Kids buy pouring it in2 the Milk Cartoons? Do u think theyl Notice? :D

Tell the kids they have been drinking it for ages (little white lies dont harm anyone).