On 08/08/2018 11:03, Broadback wrote:
On 08/08/2018 10:42, Martin Brown wrote:
Although it has been very warm this year there has been a real
shortage of interesting butterflies in North Yorkshire with many
cabbage whites and hardly any tortoise shells, red admirals or peacocks.

In a normal year we would expect the ratio to be tortoise shells as
the most common followed by cabbage whites and a good number of
everything else. I haven't seen any rarer butterflies or moths this
year

A hummingbird hawkmoth has been seen recently here though not by me.
I grow Pink Valerian (Centranthus ruber) to attract them. It is a bit
of a thug but it brings in plenty of butterflies as do the budleias.

exactly the same here in low lying North Staffordshire. I also find it a
puzzle.

Same here last year was poor but this year is worse even cabbage whites
are thin on the ground, no Tortoise shells no Peacocks and no Red
Admiral, seen 2 Comma but nothing else in the garden although plenty of
Meadow browns on the dog walks

--
Charlie Pridham
Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk