Garden Butterflies

Our garden is a mass of flowers, with purple dominating, and should be crowded with insects feeding up ready for winter, but....

....the sun hasn't been around until the past week when we have - at last - seen some, to the extent that, on Wednesday, we sat outside for our sundowners, basking in glorious sunshine, something that has happened rarely this summer. The other days we have had some rain, much appreciated by the garden, but also a very persistent, gusting westerly wind, at times blowing almost to gale force.

The small numbers of butterflies appearing in the garden in response to the sudden sunshine have now moved their attention from the fading flowers of the buddleia to the verbena which, being six foot tall, waves around excitedly in the wind, much to the discomforture of any insects hanging on grimly in the hope of a meal.

It's the same small selection of butterflies, with red admirals and peacocks dominating along with a tortoiseshell or two, but the whites have disappeared and we've had just one visit from an old friend....

....a small copper which put in a very brief appearance, almost as if to say, "I'm off now, have a good winter and hope to see you in the spring."

Au revoir, little butterfly, but somehow spring seems an awfully long way away.