During a powerful wind storm earlier in the year one of my oldest sallow / selje trees on the edge of the wild part of the garden was […]
Biodiversity / Butterflies and moths / Insects
Posted on:
Insect Biodiversity in The Edible Garden
When Covid limited my travelling, I decided to spend my time investigating what other creatures I was sharing my “habitat” (edible forest garden) with. I knew quite a […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
The least scarce moth is the Scarce Silver Y
Back from the UK and the first night I put out the moth trap on 15th / 16th August (they are released again) I was surprised to find […]
Butterflies and moths / Insects
Posted on:
Poplar Hawk Moth / Ospesvermer
The last time I saw one of these in the garden was in 1998: poplar hawk moth / ospesvermer. Today, one turned up in my light trap, and […]
Biodiversity / Butterflies and moths / Insects / Spring
Posted on:
Early spring moths and sallow
The end of March this year was mild with little frost. I was surprised to find the first flowering sallow / selje (Salix caprea) on 19th March and […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
Largest numbers of red admirals
This morning, red admiral butterflies were everywhere in the garden and I counted at least 70 on both Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush / sommerfuglbusk) and Eupatorium cannabinum (hemp […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
Fleet of Admirals
The numbers of red admiral butterflies have been building up over the last week and today with my large Buddleja davidii in full flower and warm summer weather, […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
Impaled moth?
Yesterday, I noticed a small micromoth flapping its wings vigorously on a spear thistle (veitistel) in the garden. It had somehow got caught on one of the spears […]
Birds / Butterflies and moths / Nettles
Posted on:
Don’t cut those nettles, share them with wildlife
We may know that some of are most spectacular butterflies like red admiral (admiral), painted lady (tistelsommerfugl), comma (hvit C), small tortoiseshell (neslesommerfugl) and peacock (dagpåfugløye) may lay […]
Biodiversity / Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
Posted on:
Chiffchaff and Willow
My interest in recording the incredible diversity of insects in my 40 year old edible forest garden lead to a much better understanding of the importance of different […]
Butterflies and moths / Insects
Posted on:
Emerging sallow catkins and biodiversity on the rise in the garden
As the most important tree for insect diversity in the spring – goat willow / selje (Salix caprea) – emerges into flower, two more moths that feed on […]
Bees / Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
Posted on:
Two spring signs
This spring sign today went unnoticed for many years, one of many moth species that has been registered feeding on Salix caprea (goat willow / selje) in spring, […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
Second visit by Blue Underwing!
The holy grail of the MOTHERS visited again this morning, the second time, and the size of it once again took me by complete surprise! This was the […]
Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
Posted on:
Buddleja davidii
One of the few plants in my garden which isn’t edible is my large Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush / sommerfuglbusk), a wonderful entomental (loved by insects and an […]
Butterflies and moths / Nettles
Posted on:
Admiral on Urtica kiovensis
Back from my two week stay in England for my dad’s funeral (he was 97 and still growing leeks from seed; I planted them posthumously!) and being with […]
Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
Posted on:
Admirals on Monarda
Monardas are autumn flowering here and one of the best plant genera for pollinating insects at this time of year, including bumble bees and butterflies. Over the last […]
Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
Posted on:
Painted lady on teasle
The first painted lady (tistelsommerfugl) of the year in the garden (2 years since the last one during the 2019 invasion year). On teasle / kardeborre (Dipsacus). Post […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
Second speckled wood
The second observation of speckled wood (skogringvinge) here and still the only place this species has been seen on this (the south) side of the fjord (see the […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
Moths in The Edible Garden
NB! The album and information at the bottom will be added to over timeWhen I was a student in Edinburgh in the late 70s, I started in earnest […]
Butterflies and moths / Edientomental / Pollinators
Posted on:
Buddleja Butterflies
By chance, the best two plants in the garden for pollinating insects in late summer are growing together in the garden. The Clematis vitalba (old man’s beard / […]
Bees / Butterflies and moths / Pollinators
Posted on:
Unusual Pollinators
A dark green fritillary (aglaya perlemorvinge) and my second red-tailed bumlebee (steinhumle) on my Buddleja and Clematis vitalba (old man’s beard….not me!) Post Views: 130
Butterflies and moths / Seed sAVING
Posted on:
Parsnip moth
If you grow parsnip (pastinakk) for seed, you may have come across the parsnip moth or parsnip webworm (Depressaria radiata) as it can make an impact on seed […]
Butterflies and moths / Onions
Posted on:
Diamonds on Allium
I hope diamond back moths (kålmøll) haven’t taken a liking to onions ;) Post Views: 105
Butterflies and moths / Insects / Nettles
Posted on:
Check your nettles!
Making nettle water (fertiliser) this afternoon and I checked if there were any butterfly / moth larvae under the leaves, but I missed one and this beauty floated […]
Butterflies and moths
Posted on:
First Admiral
The first red admiral butterfly of 2020 was in the garden yesterday! I bet it’s come a long way! Post Views: 105