Species to look out for in March
Hot on the tails of the very first butterflies comes a fresh flock of spring species on the wing.
As well as the typical portent of spring, the orange-tip, so arrive the other whites. That is, the large white and the small white butterflies, whose colloquial name, the cabbage whites, ignites horror in the hearts of brassica growers everywhere! These pretty white and black-marked species’ caterpillars munch through all your tasty, soft-leaved cabbages, kale and nasturtiums as larval foodplants; try sacrificial planting to lure them away from your more prized plants. Holly blues are the first of the blue species on the wing from March and are easily identified in bright metallic sky blue, with only females showing off thick black wing tips. The commonest blue in our gardens, it likes to lay eggs on holly bushes, where the caterpillars feed in spring, and again on ivy in autumn. The red admiral starts to emerge in spring, a large, familiar species with grand red and orange markings. It’s unfussy, enjoying almost all habitats, and can even be seen right into autumn feasting on flowering ivy and rotting fruit. You’ll also start to see our much-loved buff-orange beauty, the painted lady, from spring, having migrated over from north Africa to spend our summer season here in less extreme weather. In good years, populations can boom, providing a fine sight as they flock in large numbers and can be seen abundantly in gardens, feeding on garden blooms.