Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature

A Plea for Butterflies

September 29, 2024September 25, 2024 Ann Mackay15 Comments

NB: A note for WordPress Reader users – you need to click on the title of the post again to come out of the reader and go to the post itself. This allows you to see the whole of the top photograph. (Otherwise you may see just a tiny section!)

Back in August I posted about taking part in the annual ‘Big Butterfly Count’ which is held by UK charity Butterfly Conservation. The results of the nationwide count have now been published and they confirm that the UK has indeed had a very bad summer for butterflies. So much so, that the charity has labelled it a ‘butterfly emergency’.

This year’s count recorded the lowest number of butterflies in the 14-year history of its existence. A total of just over 935,000 butterflies and day-flying moths for 2024 was a drop of over a third in comparison to the figure of over 1.5 million for 2023. The average number of butterflies seen per count fell from last year’s 12 to seven for each count this year and there was also the highest ever number of counts where no butterflies were seen (9,000).

Peacock butterflies counted fell in numbers in England by 66%.

While habitat loss and this year’s wet and initially cool summer must both be at least partly to blame for the dramatic drop in butterfly numbers, Butterfly Conservation is seriously concerned about the effects of pesticides. Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation, Dr Richard Fox, said that neonicotinoid pesticides used on farmland can contaminate the wild plants growing around the edges of fields, killing the butterflies and moths and their caterpillars that feed on them.

In an effort to protect future generations of butterflies (and of course, other insects), Butterfly Conservation is calling for a complete ban on neonicotinoid pesticides in the UK. (They were banned in 2018, but an exception was made for their use on sugar beet.) The request for the ban is being made in an open letter to the Secretary of State and they are asking UK residents to support that request by signing their letter. You can find the letter here. (And you can see the full report on butterfly numbers here.)

The photographs in this post weren’t taken this year, but in 2020 and 2021. This year there were very few butterflies in my garden, so I had very little chance to photograph any. Like many people this year, I noticed that my garden was unusually empty of butterflies, bees, and the other insects that I normally expect to see here. (The small tortoiseshell in my top photo was one of England’s worst-affected species with a drop of 72% from the numbers in last year’s count. Holly blue numbers fell in England by 80% and red admirals by 82%.)

I hope that those who can sign this letter will do so – it’s a small chance to do something that may help preserve all of our insects, not only the beautiful butterflies.

Comma butterfly — A comma butterfly looking a bit the worse for wear – their count fell by 51% in England this year.

Blue Bells (but not Bluebells)

September 22, 2024September 21, 2024 Ann Mackay14 Comments

You can easily see that these are not bluebells (whether English or Spanish), but they are bell-shaped and they’re a pretty lilac-blue. When I first saw this plant, I thought it must be a variety of campanula. But it isn’t, although it is part of the Campanulaceae family.

It’s Adenophora confusa ‘Fairy Bells Gaudi Violet’. (Adenophora is also known by the name ‘Ladybells’.) I’d never heard of this plant before, but the colour and shape of the flowers attracted me. (Gardeners and bees have a lot in common. We’re easily drawn to colourful flowers.)

My recently-planted adenophora has almost finished blooming now, but I expect that next year, as the plant gets bigger, there will be a long display of flowers. They are described as flowering from June through into September, so lots of colour and a great plant for bees too.

Reading up about my new plant has made me aware that some of the taller-growing adenophoras can be easily confused with the very invasive Campanula rapunculoides (creeping bellflower). Luckily, this plant is lower-growing and more compact, with its flowers held close together on short stems – a very different appearance to the creeping bellflower, thank goodness!

Not Ready for Autumn Yet

September 15, 2024September 13, 2024 Ann Mackay14 Comments

The trees are just starting to show their first yellow leaves here after a couple of cold nights. But in the daytime, if it’s sunny, it is still warm. Being outside at this stage is very pleasant, even more so now that the really hot days of summer are gone.

The late-flowering plants continue to bring colour to the garden, and some give a decidedly summery feel too. Amongst these is the hardy hibiscus ‘Blue Bird’. It blooms from August, producing an exotic-looking show of large blue flowers with deep magenta markings in their centres. There are still buds that are yet to open on the shrub, so there should be flowers for another week or two. As September ends, so will this floral display. Then autumn’s arrival will be hard to ignore.

One of the reasons that I want to hang onto summer this year is that my husband is finishing off building a gazebo in the garden. This will give us a much better space for sitting out. I’m hoping that we will have the chance to do just that while there is still some warmth in the sun. (It also means that I have a whole new area to redevelop around it. There will be lots of work to do! And then sitting in the gazebo for a rest afterwards.) Here’s hoping that this year’s autumn is slow in arriving!

Small Signs of Hope

September 8, 2024September 6, 2024 Ann Mackay13 Comments

This summer butterflies have been pretty much absent. However, this week there have been several flitting around the garden and feasting on the last of the buddleia flowers. There weren’t many, but they were very welcome and they brought with them the hope that there may be more butterflies next year.

The red admiral shown here was one of a group of five that found the only buddleia that was still flowering well. This particular plant is one that I had intended to remove, but had found it impossible to dig out. (I have a number of more attractively-coloured named varieties in the garden, so I had decided to remove some of the more ‘ordinary’ buddleias. This one is one of the progeny of a massive shrub that was in the garden when we arrived. It seems that its family line is destined to continue!)

The severe and later than usual cutting-back prevented this buddleia from flowering at the same time as the others. That turned out to be an advantage for this group of late butterfly visitors. Next year I’ll cut the buddleias back at slightly different times so that the flowers will be spread over a longer period. Then there should still be something to feed butterflies that arrive later on, rather than all the flowers being over by this time.

The red admirals briefly had a small tortoiseshell butterfly as a companion, but I suspect they chased it away. I spotted it feeding much higher up and too far away for me to be able to photograph it. (But you can see a photo from a previous year in this post.) This was the only small tortoiseshell I’ve seen this year.

Other interesting visitors to the garden this week were a couple of elephant hawk-moths and one of their caterpillars. (Found on a very small potted fuchsia. I brought the pot up to a much larger fuchsia and later noticed that the caterpillar had very obligingly transferred itself to the less vulnerable plant.) This is only the second time that I’ve seen elephant hawk-moths here, so I’m hoping that there will be more in the garden next year. 🦋

Rainy Days Remembered

September 1, 2024August 31, 2024 Ann Mackay14 Comments

These are pictures from earlier this summer, on a day in early July when the rain had left all the flowers glistening with raindrops. Summer rain is not something we can take for granted in the east of England. Long dry periods can leave the garden parched and the plants practically gasping for water.

This year we have had some very dry periods but those earlier rains, much heavier and more frequent than usual, have allowed the garden to grow more lush than we’d normally see. The grapevine that covers a small arbour for shade has turned into a monster with wildly waving arms (and grapes hidden under all that foliage). At this stage it’s almost inaccessible to prune. Next year I’ll have to make a point of cutting it back at a time when I can get a ladder close enough to the arbour to be able to get at the vine.

The wisteria that I planted to grow over and through an old laurel that has become a tree is also becoming overgrown. I’m really not sure how I’ll tackle this one – a pruner on a long extending pole helps, but isn’t enough. More drastic action may be required in future…

This summer’s extra rain brought us plenty of flowers. The Triteleia laxa (also known as Brodiaea) ‘Queen Fabiola’ in the top photograph is long-gone for this year. It is a perennial bulb and will come back into flower again from late next spring. However, in the photo below, the gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) is still in full flower and will be for a long while yet. (It can flower well into the winter and often ends up covered in frost. You can see one of my frosty photos of it here.)

Both of these flowers looked lovely when coated in raindrops. Summer rain brings some variety to flower pictures and it shows that it can be good for both gardens and photography. Sometimes the rain is welcome!

Flowers of Gaura lindheimerii — Oenothera lindheimeri, formerly known as Gaura lindheimeri

Late Summer Glow

August 25, 2024August 24, 2024 Ann Mackay10 Comments

Late summer brings colours that make me think of autumn. It won’t be long before the leaves start to change colour and display the yellows, oranges and reds of the season. (But the red leaf above is that of a redbud, in its normal summer colour.) The photographs here are a mix of those taken in my own garden and others taken in Fullers Mill Garden, a favourite to visit.

red and orange flowers and seed pods — Clockwise from top left: the seed pods of Physalis alkekengi, orange echinacea, red dahlia, heleniums in a red and yellow mix

The orange echinacea and the red dahlia are amongst the hotter colours in my own garden. (I usually choose cooler colours, which dominate the rest of the planting here.) The heleniums (which have the entertaining common name of ‘sneezeweed’, because they were used to make snuff) were at Fullers Mill, along with the physalis (Chinese lanterns) and the redbud. I have to admit that the red and orange combination of the helenium is not one that I like. At least it’s not quite as bad as the multicoloured varieties of French marigold. I really dislike the combination of orange and a reddish brown (or is it a brownish red?).

The heleniums that I prefer are those with single-coloured flowers, both the yellow varieties and the red one that you see below. This plant is Helenium autumnale ‘Ranchera’, which I chose for the lovely deep red. Unfortunately though, it doesn’t like very dry soil, preferring consistently moist conditions. I tried to remember to water it, but was only able to keep it going for a couple of years. It eventually disappeared after a summer of struggling through drought. Perhaps if I manage to improve the soil enough (with lots and lots of compost) I’ll try it again.

Red Helenium (sneezeweed) flower and bud

A Flowery Indulgence

August 18, 2024August 17, 2024 Ann Mackay12 Comments

Hubby decided that he wanted to get some new plants for the potted display he keeps by our front door. This meant a very welcome trip to one of our local nurseries was in order. (We’re lucky in having a couple of nurseries nearby that have a good range of plants at moderate prices.)

As you can imagine, we came home with a good haul of new plants, including these two alstroemerias. I had wanted to buy some for a long time and was just waiting to see the right colours. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you won’t be at all surprised to see that these purple shades were my choice.

We all need an occasional indulgence – my favourite one is flowers. I love their beauty and they give me something that I want to photograph. They make me smile.

(Almost) Silent Sunday: R and R

August 11, 2024August 8, 2024 Ann Mackay11 Comments

Just a quick post-and-run this week. Hubby’s brother has come to stay and we’re having a few days off for rest & relaxation. (Probably some good food and wine too…)

Missing: Butterflies…

August 4, 2024August 2, 2024 Ann Mackay19 Comments

‘Where are the butterflies this year?’ I’ve heard that question from many folk here in the UK this year. The rain and lack of warmth earlier in the summer have been blamed, especially after the previous very wet and windy weather in the spring.

It has become warmer and more summery recently but there still aren’t many butterflies around. At this time of year I take part in the ‘Big Butterfly Count’, run by the UK charity, Butterfly Conservation. Butterfly Conservation has reported that the numbers of butterflies recorded this year are the lowest ever in the 14 years of holding it. Although the poor weather has made it hard for butterflies to fly and to mate this year, their numbers have already been in decline in recent decades. Much of this is attributed to the loss of habitats, pesticides, and now a changing climate.

My photographs here were not taken this summer, but in previous years. There simply haven’t been enough times when I’ve seen butterflies in the garden to be able to photograph them. For my count here, it was noticeable that there was a huge drop in the numbers of those that are usually the commonest. There was only one peacock butterfly and no red admirals at all. (I have in the past seen a dozen peacock butterflies sunning themselves on our brick path and around the same number of red admirals feasting on a buddleia.)

For one particular butterfly – the gatekeeper (below) – there was actually a slight rise in numbers. This year I saw five of them during the 15-minute count. Last year I think it was three. (We are probably seeing more of these because we now have both blackberries and thyme in the garden for the adults to feed on.) Other butterflies – large white, small white, and comma (top photo) were sighted but, again, in fewer numbers. There was a single brimstone, which I’ve only seen once during a count, but no small tortoiseshell this year.

It’s not just a poor year for butterflies here, but for bees too. Normally there would be lots in the garden, but now there are very few. (Spring was good at one point, and I noticed that the ajuga was absolutely buzzing while it was in flower.) I hope that the insect numbers will be able to recover in warmer years, but I feel that I may need to do more to provide both habitat and food to encourage these visitors. In particular, I’d like to grow food plants that will be available over a longer period, especially for any late-arriving butterflies and bees. 🦋

After the Rain, Sunshine

July 28, 2024July 26, 2024 Ann Mackay22 Comments

Oenothera macrocarpa (Missouri evening primrose)

During a recent break between rain showers, I went into the garden to take as many photos as I could of the raindrop-adorned plants. These evening primroses stood out as looking particularly sunny after a grey day. This one is Oenothera macrocarpa (Missouri evening primrose), which is quite different to the tall evening primroses that also grow here.

The biggest difference between this and the other evening primrose in our garden (which I believe is Oenothera stricta ‘Sulphurea’) is the growth habit. The Missouri evening primrose is an easy neighbour for the other plants in the border, spreading slowly on low, lax stems. It causes no problems for the other plants around it. ‘Sulphurea’, on the other hand, can be a bit of a thug because it can self-seed in such great numbers that it blocks light from the other plants beside it.

I made the mistake of letting many of Sulphurea’s seedlings remain in an area where they have now created a screen that hides the neighbouring shorter plants. Oops! They’ll have to be removed and I’ll spread the seed from them in a semi-wild area where the other plants are tall enough to compete.

Meanwhile, the Missouri evening primrose that you see here is behaving beautifully, so I’m likely to plant more of this one. Then there will be plenty of zingy yellow flowers to brighten the days when the sun is sulking behind clouds.