buddleia

Lammas 2025

~ Ashley ~ 10 Comments
Red Admiral on Buddleia


Butterflies,
Flitting from flower to flower;
Peace.

 

The end of July and the beginning of August, is the traditional festival of Lammas, a time of abundance and in the pagan calendar, seen as the beginning of autumn.  There are so many flowers in our tiny garden but this Buddleia, a dwarf variety, is a favourite.  Known as the butterfly bush or shrub, we can see why it is so called. I didn’t manage to capture on camera the other butterflies in the garden but I am working on a further linked post with some artwork which I shall publish shortly. 🤞🤞

Ashley

Where are all the butterflies?

~ Ashley ~ 62 Comments

20240703_155601

Blooming buddleia,
At the height of summer;
No butterflies!

As a recorder of butterflies in our little garden I am happy to see that my wonderful buddleia* is enjoying some afternoon sunshine.  Unfortunately, I have not recorded any butterflies in the garden since late May.  I am advised by the County Recorder that the lack of butterflies may be due to the mild and wet winter, followed by a dull, mild and wet spring!  The weather!!!  The climate???

 My geraniums are still flowering but here are some daisies** that have burst into flower over the last few days.

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*The buddleia, Buzz Velvet Red, has shot up this year.  It was supposed to be a dwarf variety.  All buddleia usually known as ‘butterfly bush’.

**The daisies are actually Leucanthemum superbum white.  We also have them in yellow but they are just not as far forward. 

Ashley

 

Mid Autumn

~ Ashley ~ 43 Comments

Today it is overcast, grey, and now the rain has arrived; a sign of the weather to come: dull and drab!  However, yesterday, around midday, the sun shone and it was warm.  The ivy flowers, which have been closed since they appeared a few weeks ago, suddenly were open.  Open for business!

ivy flowers open

Warm sunshine,
Bright at the top of the hedge --
Movement there!

Butterflies and bees feeding there,
On the blooming ivy flowers --
A true sign of autumn.

Ivy!  Such a maligned plant in a garden, and yet it is so important for our pollinators!  

I can’t resist adding this last photo of 3 Small Tortoiseshell butterflies (Aglais urticae) on one of our dwarf Buddleia (Buzz Velvet Red).

small tortoishell x 3 on buddleia

Not long now until the Autumn Equinox!