The warm weather of the last few weeks has certainly brought out the first of the butterflies in the garden. The first to emerge are those that have over-wintered as adults. The Peacock butterfly is one of a select bunch of hardy British butterflies that can survive the cold in the United Kingdom hibernating as adults. Others include the Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Red Admiral and Brimstone.
If you want these beautiful creatures to have a safe haven it is important that you don’t spend too much time clearing away and tidying up. These butterflies need a safe undisturbed place in a shed or wood pile. Don’t cut back the ivy and other climbers as this is also a good hibernating spot for other over-wintering butterflies and also moths.
Of course, these over-wintering insects are also food for our garden birds in the harsh winter months and we often see the tiny wrens darting in and out of the ivy collecting food and potentially making nests later.
Over the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of seeing Peacock, Brimstone and Orange Tip butterflies flying through the garden. Rather than over wintering as adults the Orange Tip butterflies over winter as a chrysalis emerging early in the spring to lay their eggs.
All of these butterflies have emerged early so that they can mate and lay their eggs on the fresh spring growth of the caterpillar food plants. The Peacock caterpillars feed on stinging nettles, the Orange Tips on Cuckooflower and garlic mustard and the Brimstones on Buckthorn and Alder Buckthorn. Once again don’t be too eager to clear the garden of all these wild plants if you want your garden to be rich in animal wildlife.
As a child I remember with great pleasure collecting Peacock caterpillars, feeding them up on nettles in a jam jar until they pupated and then waiting eagerly for the butterflies to emerge and fly away freely. The fascinating lifecycle of these creatures and their beauty continues to enthral me to this day.
We are out in the garden ... 