Frugal Photo-fest! Permaculture, Wildlife Gardening and even more Butterflies!

Thank You Mother Nature! Providing Natural Inspiration for the Colour Schemes of Interior Design Projects.

 This post contains many photographs

Frugal living version of alliums - onions left to grow

 

How on earth am I supposed to get any work done when the sun shines and there's so much going on in the garden? Today was a glorious day, so I decided to tidy up the tomato and cucumber bushes in the little greenhouse, pick a few flowers, harvest more courgettes and weed the herb gardens. But then I spotted a Red Admiral butterfly on one of my 'frugal alliums'. From thereon in, the chase had begun!

 

 

Quite difficult to see in the bright sunlight, but there were numerous little white butterflies fluttering around the white Buddleia. I'm told these are female Orange Tips, but where are all the males?

 

Another Peacock butterfly arrived, followed by several more, all landing on the white Buddleia or else settling on the stone wall to sun themselves.

 

 

This is the trouble-maker in my garden and everyone else's garden, as far as the brassicas are concerned! This one was just taking off when I spotted it - the dreaded 'cabbage white' butterfly. But really, who could possibly kill something like this? Certainly not me! I just need to learn to net my cabbages better in future and leave a few out for the white flutter-by brigade.

 

Eggs of the Large White butterfly, hundreds of them have been laid on the undersides of the cabbage and cauliflower leaves and the eggs seem to hatch within days and then, almost overnight, it's caterpillar-fest and the leaves are stripped bare!

 

 

I decided to take a wander down to the wild garden, as that was where the Red Admiral had been heading and that was me - hooked for ages, just watching nature in all its colourful glory. Isn't it absolutely amazing that we can enjoy all of this for free? That's when I spotted it again - can you see the Red Admiral?

 

Then I spotted another and another, but tried to focus on one at a time. These really are quite stunning. In fact, I think I may do my bathroom in black and white with a splash of red/orange.

 

Close up of one of the Red Admiral butterflies. Now that it's in my sights there'll be no letting go until I've got the best photos I can with my little freebie 3 x zoom digital camera. The following is a selelction of the photos taken this afternoon when I should have been working!

 

Red Admiral heading for the purple Buddleia. The scarlet colour changes to a bright orange depending how the light hits the butterfly's wings.

 

Stunning! Red Admiral dancing in circles as it feeds on the nectar from the tiny clusters of flowers on the Buddleia.

 

I was transfixed! I spent so long photographing this butterfly that my coffee went cold and had to be microwaved!

 

On closer inspection, there were all sorts of buzzing flying things on the Buddleia. I think this is a Hoverfly feasting.

 

Isn't this just a magnificent specimen of a butterfly? The Red Admiral has to be one of my favourites, alongside the Peacocks and Blues.

 

 

Another buzzy thing that I'll call a Hoverfly despite the fact I can see what looks like a stinging part - perhaps it's an egg chute of some description! I'm praying my arch-enemy, Mrs giant wood wasp, doesn't appear, as I really don't like her.

 

 

Bumble bees aplenty in the Frugaldom garden but it isn't often that I spend any time trying to photograph them. I really should, as there are so many different types, colours and sizes.

 

What are all these little creatures? Normally I run when I hear anything buzzing near me but down here in the wild garden corner, they are all far too busy feasting to bother about a big scaredy like me, thank goodness!

 

Not sure what any of the insects are, nor am I sure what any of the flowers are, apart from the Buddleia. I'll call these huge yellow daisies.

 

Oh wow! The Red Admiral has settled on one of the giant yellow daisies right in front of my camera!

 

I can even see the little blue flecks at the base of the wings now, this really is a gorgeous butterfly! But I'm being called to go and get my coffee right now!

 

Another Peacock butterfly on the white Buddleia as I'm passing it on my way back to the patio where my reheated coffee is going cold again! I sat down to drink it and that's when we spotted the next target for my camera...



 

I have asked for a definite identification on this tiny butterfly but I think It's what's known as a 'Small Copper'. It landed on the wooden planters where I have the strawberries.

 

I was so engrossed in butterfly watching this afternoon that I forgot to photograph progress in the greenhouse and garden! I'll need to put them into a separate blog as I seem to have absolutely filled this one with butterflies again. Oops!

 

Until next time,

Frugaldom