Where have all the Butterflies gone ?

[juliejam]

Over the past few years i have noticed a decline of Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies around my garden ...I have a lilac and a Beddleia which is known as the Butterfly Bush...At times you could see up to a dozen or so of butterflies ...now sadly its just The Bufftailed and Whitetailed bumblebees out there...Has any body else noticed a change in visitors to their gardens .....

[paulchandler6]

Have also noticed a decline, but this appears to vary in different years. Red Admirals being primarily migratory have good and bad years, this year not as common as last. Peacocks however seem more abundant this year. The number of Small Tortoiseshells continues to decline as I have only had the one so far.
As to where have they gone………..there must be loads of environmental factors effecting populations……….Cheers

[m1.carson]

Hi,

I remarked on this last year, and was given a weather reason for it, sorry can't remember, too wet, too cold, anyway I was going to post on the total lack of cinnabar caterpillars this year,
[ black and yellow banded] last year every piece of groundsel was smothered in them, this year not one to be seen, and that's without all the rest of the butterflies missing from our buddleia.

Max.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by m1.carson

Hi,

I remarked on this last year, and was given a weather reason for it, sorry can't remember, too wet, too cold, anyway I was going to post on the total lack of cinnabar caterpillars this year,
[ black and yellow banded] last year every piece of groundsel was smothered in them, this year not one to be seen, and that's without all the rest of the butterflies missing from our buddleia.

Max.

If you are looking for Cinnabar cateripillars head north. I would not be exagerating if I said I saw thousands in Cumbria during July. There were also plenty of Gate keepers, Meadow Browns, Graylings, Small tortoiseshell, small + large whites and Red Admirals

[PeterJL]

Originally Posted by m1.carson

Hi,

I remarked on this last year, and was given a weather reason for it, sorry can't remember, too wet, too cold, anyway I was going to post on the total lack of cinnabar caterpillars this year,
[ black and yellow banded] last year every piece of groundsel was smothered in them, this year not one to be seen, and that's without all the rest of the butterflies missing from our buddleia.

Max.

My experience has been the opposite. I have never seen so many Ragwort plants either covered in or eaten by Cinnabar caterpillars as this year. Also all the Peacock butterflies are currently infesting my garden.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by m1.carson

Hi,

I remarked on this last year, and was given a weather reason for it, sorry can't remember, too wet, too cold, anyway I was going to post on the total lack of cinnabar caterpillars this year,
[ black and yellow banded] last year every piece of groundsel was smothered in them, this year not one to be seen, and that's without all the rest of the butterflies missing from our buddleia.

Max.

Last weekend at Pagham there were large numbers of Cinnabar larvae on Ragwort.

[Dogghound]

Plenty of butterflies mainly ringlet, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, green veined and small whites with afew gatekeepers peacocks and large whites near me. Although numbers are down, but then hay everything seems to be in decline

[mazthegob]

we live in the outskirts of Brighton, and had loads last year, meadow browns,gatekeepers,red admirals,peacocks,small and large whites,speckled wood, holly blue and chalk blue,common blue,hundreds of painted lady's, and even a wall brown,
but this year hardly anything, just a male and female common blue,meadow brown a few whites and one admiral and a couple of woods and that's it, no caterpillars except one tiger moth, WHERE ARE ALL MY BUTTERFLY'S, SNIFF

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by mazthegob

we live in the outskirts of Brighton, and had loads last year, meadow browns,gatekeepers,red admirals,peacocks,small and large whites,speckled wood, holly blue and chalk blue,common blue,hundreds of painted lady's, and even a wall brown,
but this year hardly anything, just a male and female common blue,meadow brown a few whites and one admiral and a couple of woods and that's it, no caterpillars except one tiger moth, WHERE ARE ALL MY BUTTERFLY'S, SNIFF

I think last year was particularly good for butterflies and in contrast this year has been particularly bad what with the very cold winter perhaps killing off more overwintering aduits and pupa than normal and it being quite a dry spring/ summer. So put the years back to back and this year then seems extra extra bad!
Hopefully they'll be ok though?!

[Miss Caretaker]

I haven't seen one cinnabar caterpillar this year in spite of the abundance of ragwort where I walk my transect. This time last year I was inundated with riglets and meadow browns but only one meadow brown so far this year. I have, however, seen a lot more large skippers than last year so far so it's swings and roundabouts!