I hadn't actually got round to doing a butterfly count in my garden but noticing a white butterfly land on my buddleia I thought I'd go outside and see what else was about. It was very breezy but with some sunshine as I walked round the garden for 15 minutes. The butterfly on my buddleia turned out to be a large white, no others were on it so I went over to the hawthorn hedge which is mostly covered in ivy and a few brambles here and there. A small blue shape caught my eye - a holly blue, presumably a second brood. It stayed motionless on an ivy leaf before fluttering off to feed on a bramble flower. A red admiral stopped for a second or to nearby before deciding against settling. Further along I noticed another white species, this time a small white.
After all had flown off I stopped next to my newly created 'polinator' flower bed. This year I cleared it of azaleas and have replanted it with flower species such as lavender, scabious, sedum, birds foot trefoil and wild oregano, all of which are meant to be attractive to butterflies.
Admittedly I have noticed more bees than butterflies but the oregano is only just coming into flower. Perhaps I will enlarge it next year as it gives a splash of colour to an otherwise fairly 'green' looking garden at this time of year. Something small and brown flew off as I approached, my first thoughts were that it may have been a small skipper but I couldn't be certain. I have had that species in my garden before so it's quite possible. I also saw a darter type dragonfly but haven't made a formal ID.
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