Likewise and Peacock. I think it’s called Comma. We also have the smaller brown and orange butterfly with normal shaped wings.
Phil
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I haven’t done the butterfly count but I’ve had 4-6 types simultaneously , nothing rare , but
Sometimes I think we don’t appreciate what is at hand and what is commonplace , just look the markings coming back, they look like a predators eyes
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Tomatoes ripening fast now. The process seemed to pause during July’s poor weather but its been warm and humid this week, especially today. Thankfully no sign of blight, though a dahlia in the pot next to it suffered from something similar (cut that right back a few weeks ago). I’ve also trimmed some of the tomato leaves to encourage ripening, and pinched out new forming fruits.
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We have more Peacocks than usual this year. Possibly because I’ve left a few clumps of nettles which their larvae like to eat.
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Yes, I have too many nettles , I think a large pair of leather gauntlets beckon . I want to remove a swathe of nettles and replace with teasels and campion .
I have lots of potatoes in pots, I emptied one pot today and there were pupae in the pot, I extracted the potatoes and put the larvae back in the compost
Bruss’s is the only garden where he takes a pic with a 600mm lens and we still can’t see what he’s talking about.
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I often have a problem as to whether I’m looking at a small deer close up or a large deer a long way away.
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I would urge anyone who can to keep at least a few nettles in a corner of the garden. They are very valuable for butterflies and other insects, and the seeds are a good source of food for some birds. (As are Campion and Teasel, of course.)
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Sadly, not my garden but worth a share. Dahlias at ‘Knightshayes’ walled garden on a hot and humid August afternoon.
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Walking in RHS Harlow Carr and came across a lovely display of echinacea. Shows how they can look if given the room.
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That’s one tip I have absolutely no problem following - plenty of self seeded buddleia as well, all alive with butterflies this year.
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To me, Buddleia is a scruffy, unattractive plant (apart from the flowers, of course) so like the nettles, I prefer them out of the way. We are lucky to have a fairly large untended area of the garden where wildlife friendly plants can be allowed to thrive.
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Crikey, mine don’t even have any fruit yet. Not holding my breath!
Sumac.
We had a Sumac tree when we moved in but it died a few years ago.
Ever since we seem to be getting suckers popping up here there and everywhere which I normally cut back. I’ve not done so recently and I think due to the wet weather it’s gone bonkers and there’s one coming up in a concreted area adjacent to the drain cover.
I’ve been tempted to let one of the suckers grow to see if it’ll become a proper tree again but am perhaps more concerned that the surviving roots are quite invasive and will be problematic.
What would you do? Just cut back the sucker shoots when they appear or chemically treat?
I have a pair of quince trees that have leaf blight, (diplocarpon mespili, a fungus I’m told). They are about 10 years old and never flowered. Treatment is to cut off dead / infected branches and dispose of leaf litter. No fungicides are suitable for fruit bearing trees. My plan is to heavily prune, pollard really, and see what happens next year. Has anyone experience of dealing with blight?
So. In May my cherry blossom trees where this size.
Only one has grown, both in same location and receiving the same amount of water.
Advice on when I should transfer from pot into the garden would be appreciated.
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I believe Sumac has a tendency to sucker, so perhaps it’s not the right choice to try to tame one sucker and persuade it to behave like a proper plant!
I regard herbicides as a last resort, and getting it to kill all of the long thin roots you tend to get with suckers might not not work.
What always works is persistence. Keep cutting it back and it will run out of steam sooner or later.
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It’s always best to plant trees when they are dormant, so any time over winter, but not when the ground is frozen.
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