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 / tysk klematis) is in the foreground in the picture below and is popular with hoverflies, droneflies and bumblebees. Behind is my largest (of 3 Buddlejas, butterfly bush /sommerfuglbusk). We had one when we were growing up in the back garden, where my interest in insects and nature started. As the name suggests, it is most popular with butterflies (and moths), but bumble bees are also commonly seen on it. The Clematis reaches up to the balcony which allows me to study the insects at close hand. Clematis vitalba was planted in the garden as the cooked young shoots are commonly eaten in spring in Italy and is therefore one of the best edientomentals (edible/for the insects/ornamental) you can plant. Buddleja davidii is not edible and is in the entomental category. Although the total number of butterflies is lower this year as last year we experienced a major invasion of painted lady (tistelsommerfugl) butterflies (only 2 observations in the last month in this part of Norway), there is a good diversity of species and you’ll find pictures and videos of the following species below: Red admiral / admiral (up to 4) Small tortoiseshell / neslesommerfugl (7) Dark green fritillary / aglajaperlemorvinge (1) Brimstone / sitronsommerfugl (colonising this area and my 3rd record this summer) Comma / hvit C Small white? / liten kålsommerfugl Green-veined whites / rapssommerfugl have also been very common this year. A possible small blue (dvergblåvinge) was also seen in the garden on Allium wallichii on 21st August.
Possibly small blue (dvergblåvinge) seen on Allium wallichii on 21st August
Brimstone butterflies (sitronsommerfugl) have become much more common on the other side of the fjord in recent years and I saw one in the garden for the first time in 2009. I thought this would be a regular occurrence but it took another 11 years before the next one turned up yesterday feeding on lesser celandine (vårkål) in my forest garden. This reminded me that I’ve also recorded the brimstone moth (sitronmåler) here, in my living room on 25th January 2014! 31st May 2020: A second one turned up, on Lunaria annua (honesty)
Brimstone moth:
31st May 2020: A second brimstone butterfly turned up, here on Lunaria annua (honesty):
I was very saddened yesterday to learn that my friend Helge Finnøy has passed away after a very long illness :cry:
Helge was a gentle, modest, intelligent man and we shared an interest in particular in plants and insects and he reintroduced me to the music of Ray Davies (Kinks) and we were both at his memorable performance at Trondheim Torvet (town square) on October 11th 2014. I’m not one for sending flowers (at least not at this time of year), so I’ve put this little gallery together of my colourful memories of Helge! I have fond memories of visiting Helge (and Randi) and his garden at Torp (incidentally right next to Granly, where we rented a flat when we first moved to Norway i 1981). Takk for alt, Helge! Kondolere Randi Stubban og Sunniva Stubban Finnøy <3
Helge was passionate about the things that interested him and that included butterflies. He told excitedly of seeing two peacock butterflies (dagpåfugløye) in his garden at Torp (a few km east of my own garden) in 2004. Two years later I had them in my own garden (picture). It turns out that Helge’s observation was the first ever of this species this far north. I checked our species reporting system artsobservasjoner.no and his observation was missing, so I’ve just added it on his behalf!
Helge was also passionate about trees and shrubs and was chuffed when he managed to grow plants that shouldn’t be possible here…in that way he inspired me to try despite what people said :) Buddleja (sommerfuglblomst) was one of them and he grew several colour forms to attract butterflies, including a particularly fine form, Royal Red. This picture is of a Brimstone (sitronsommerfugl) which finally turned up in my garden.. Helge told me this would happen!
This creature turned up in another garden Torp and the owner brought it over to me hoping I could ID it…. I asked Helge and he could tell me it was the larva of the pussmoth (stor gaffelstjert)…this was in the days before it was easy to do an on-line identification!
Rhus typhina (Stag’s horn sumach / hjortesumak) is one of the plants Helge gave me and 15 years on it’s still thriving, despite this being one of the plants that shouldn’t be hardy enough for Malvik
Helge recommended this album that had just came out when we saw Ray Davies play in Trondheim in 2014 and it still is a favourite which I incidentally played just a few days ago for the first time in a long time… The set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ray-davies/2004/torvet-trondheim-norway-73da9ab5.html (now playing). Prior to this I’d seen the Kinks play on the Schoolboys in Disgrace tour in 1975/1976…when I was at uni in Exete
Buddleja in my garden from a cutting from Helge
…and this is another Helge helped me with, moorland clouded yellow (myrgulvinge), the first time this species was recorded in Malvik kommune in 2008 (there have been 3 more observations in the last 3 years).
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
