Here’s a previously unseen beauty in the garden (until I started trapping moths this summer). It’s Xanthia togata (The pink-barred sallow / fiolettbåndet gulfly). This is an autumn flying moth with larva feeding on Salix and Populus. 5 of them were in my trap this morning.
There are record numbers of butterflies in the garden at the moment, crowding on the last Buddleja flowers. A few days ago, I counted 35 butterflies, about equal numbers of painted ladies (tistelsommerfugl) and red admirals (admiral) with a few small tortoiseshells (neslesommerfugl) as well as a lot of silver y moths (gammafly). All are seen in this video taken from my balcony which overlooks the largest Buddleja.
I caught Notodonta dromedarius (Iron Prominent moth / Dromedartannspinner) in the garden yesterday!
Yesterday there were 15 Red Admiral butterflies in the garden and 2 Painted Ladies, today the Ladies beat the Admirals 8-6 :)
There were at least 15 Red Admiral butterflies in the garden yesterday, mainly on Buddleja!
When I saw this larva in the garden on a cultivated Malva sylvestris (common mallow / apotekerkattost), I didn’t imagine this was a painted lady / tistelsommerfugl (Vanessa cardui), but it turns out that mallows (Malva spp.), other members of the Asteraceae and comfrey (Symphytum) can all feed the larvae!
The warmth has encouraged the Buddleja (Butterfly bush / Sommerfuglbusk) into flower, but this small tortoiseshell (neslesommerfugl) still prefers Alliums!
Buddleja isn’t edible, but it is one of the best entomentals (insects love them and so do we; it would be an edi-ento-mental if it had also been edible!)
Painted lady on old man’s beard this morning ! (Tistelsommerfugl på tysk klematis)
On burdock / borre (Arctium spp):
Green-veined white (rapssommerfugl) on Patrinia triloba v. takeuchiana (honeysuckle family)
