England: some common butterflies

Did you know that the word butterfly comes from the ancient idea that insects (or witches disguised as butterflies!) consume butter and milk that has been left uncovered? Well, that’s one possibility I found anyway.

There seemed to be a lot more butterflies in the UK than in my native New Zealand. In fact, there are 59 common species and a lot more uncommon. I didn't see that many while out on my strolls but here are a few that fluttered my way.

Comma (Polygoniac-album)

Once common throughout England, Wales and southern Scotland, the Comma suffered a severe decline in the mid 1800s, possibly due to the reduction in Hop farming, which was then the butterfly’s key larval foodplant. Luckily, it has made an amazing comeback since the 1960s, with its caterpillars now preferring to eat common nettle. Good on them – somebody / something needs to rid the world of nettle!

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)

As you might guess from the name, this is the most common blue butterfly found in the British Isles. This little guy is probably a male as the female is a much less showy mixture of brown and blue (as so many females are in the animal / insect world).

Green-veined White (Pieris napi)

All gardeners hate the white butterfly – this is not that butterfly! The poor little Green-veined White suffers from that comparison, so when you see a little white fluttering through parks and gardens, meadows and woodlands, please don’t assume it’s the bad guy.

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)

Skippers are cute. All butterflies have 4 wings, two on each side, but the skipper’s forewings are as long as its underwings and seem to sit in a more upright position than other butterflies, and they flit through the countryside, in short buzzing movements, from one stalk of tall grass to another.

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)

They live in meadows, they’re brown – that much is probably obvious! They are one of the most common and most widespread of all British butterflies. They may look like Plain Janes but they have eyes on their wings and they are very pretty.

Peacock (Aglais io)

With those big spectacular eyes on its wings, I think it’s obvious why this butterfly has the name ‘Peacock’. But those eyes are there to warn potential predators to stay away – it’s one of the most beautiful ‘don’t eat me’ messages you’ll ever see.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

The Red Admiral is dressed to kill, in black velvet with striking red bands across her wings, but she prefers the garden to the catwalk. She’s an immigrant, an exotic beauty from central Europe, but she’s now made herself at home throughout Britain.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

Excuse me for stating the obvious: this little beauty is speckled and it lives in woodland but there’s a twist to this story. According to what I read online, the ones that live in northern parts of Britain have white spots, the ones in the south have orange spots. This butterfly must’ve been on its holidays – it’s got white spots but I found it in Devon. Go figure!

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

It’s small and pretty and it’s in trouble. Its numbers are fluctuating, which may be due to a small parasitic fly that feeds on its caterpillars, though that’s just one of the theories. Let's hope it fights back!

Butterflies and other beasties

A couple of Sundays ago I spent a very pleasant hour or more at the Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre, about 25 kilometres north of Siem Reap.

Common mime

Not only does it have a large netted garden full of tropical flowers with hundreds of butterflies fluttering around, it also has a butterfly breeding programme. 

Egg-covered leaves are collected from the garden each day and stored in plastic tubs in a small propagation area. Once hatched the caterpillars are fed on their favourite plants – and what wonderful colours those caterpillars are, from the camouflage colour of pale green to the bright red and black stripes of warning.

The butterflies are equally varied, some vibrant reds and oranges, others plain black and white but intricately patterned, some large, others small and delicate. All are species native to Cambodia.

Leopard lacewing

The friendly centre guides share their knowledge of the different varieties, explaining the butterfly life cycle and the peculiarities of each species. They’ll also show you their pet scorpions, and their resident population of stick insects, larger than any I’ve seen before. 

Not a butterfly, a yellow moth

By training the residents to farm butterflies and employing locals as staff, the butterfly centre benefits the surrounding community, as well as helping to conserve the butterflies – a win, win situation!

The mother of all stick insects

Leopard lacewing, from above

Another common mime

A common birdwing that had been killed by a spider's bite

Very soon, there will more common evening browns!

Picaflor’s pompons and pets

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about working at Picaflor House has been the garden and the little critters who find nourishment in it on a daily basis. Our kids love it too: when we interviewed some of them a while back to get their comments for our 2011 annual report, it was hugely satisfying to hear them all mention how much they like the flowers and the colour.

In serious need of some hand cream here!

I’ve been a gardener since I was a tiny tot trying to help my dad maintain his always impressive vege garden. I imagine I was more hindrance than help but my dad was a patient soul and encouraged my love of growing things. My mum also had green fingers; our house was always full of shiny green pot plants and her flower garden was a joy to behold. I am ever grateful to them for passing on their love of gardening, growing things, and being green to me.

At Picaflor I am constantly getting my hands dirty, my nails broken, working the garden. I know I could use gloves but I hate them – I much prefer the feel of the soil. It’s so rewarding to see the plants flourish and blossom, and to see the numbers of butterflies, bees and other tiny beasties increasing.

Spot the wee beastie in this one?

I hope you've enjoyed this little meander through our garden.