Top tips for butterflies
FLYING around our meadows and hedges at the moment is a most beautiful butterfly.
And, I bet, few of us have seen it or know of its existence, which is a shame.
I have been trying to get a picture of the orange-tip butterfly for the past five years, failing miserably because they are quite skittish.
Then, last week, success! I came upon one of these beautiful creatures resting in the sunlight and snapped quite a few shots on my phone.
Orange-tips might look like white butterflies, fluttering in and out of grass on verges and in hedges, but if you look carefully you will see that orange flash.
Males have bright orange-tips on their wings, which are much easier to see when they are still.
The artist who created them also included a couple of black dots, and a light grey extra tip to the wing, as finishing touches.
The female is also white but it has grey black wingtips.
Both male and female exhibit a mottled, ‘mossy grey’ pattern on the underside of their hindwings, which I also find pretty striking.
They are a common sight during spring – you will have seen them – and can be found in lots of places including meadows, woodland and hedges.
The adults lay their eggs on special plants to ensure that their caterpillars have the right food to eat.
Orange-tip caterpillars are keen on garlic mustard, cuckooflower and hedge mustard plants.
Those caterpillars eat their own eggshell when they emerge and moving on to eat other orange-tip eggs nearby, they are cannibals.
Caterpillars pupate in July and spend winter as pupa, emerging as butterflies the following spring.
The orange-tip joins the equally beautiful common blue as the first butterflies to emerge in spring.
Now we are well into May, they are joined by red admiral, peacock, comma and large white cousins.
This week I saw a white-veined butterfly while looking for large red damselflies.
On our meadows, coppers and meadow browns are out and about, while our mossy bits have Manchester argus flying again after being locally extinct for more than 150 years. And higher up, rare fritillaries are fritilitating on the moors, thanks to the work of many conservation organisations and volunteers.
If you want to get involved in this butterfly bonanza, you can invite them into your garden by planting the right flowers.
Butterflies love buddleia, in fact it is commonly known as the butterfly bush.
In my garden, I find they are attracted to nasturtium and lavender plants, in fact they go for herbs like chives, cat mint and borage.
A herby garden is generally a butterfly garden, and you will find those plants are also handy in your summer salads.
A little effort and planning in your garden will mean lots of colour and it will bring in those colourful guests, that we all love.
While my adventures, chasing the orange-tip for a picture like some paparazzo, are exciting, I also enjoy just sitting in the garden and appreciating the butterflies of all colours.