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kay · 26-07-2013, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sacha

On 2013-07-26 15:53:48 +0100, Indigo said:

"David.WE.Roberts" wrote
I've sown some old greyhound cabbage seeds in trays to see if they
were still viable and have had a few germinate.

So I had perhaps 6-8 seedlings in two mushroom trays (the brown ones
you buy mushrooms in) out on a shelf down the garden, waiting to be
planted out.

Yesterday they were surrounded by a crowd of cabbage white
butterflies, and the tiny leaves were covered top and bottom with
little white posts which I assume are eggs.
[...]
I am seriously considering doing the same because nothing is worse
than putting in a load of work and a load of plants just to see them all eaten.

Oh dear. I know the feeling. My broccoli plants kept getting eaten into
green lace each year, despite the usual net, so this time I've made a
cage with brand new netting which is smaller gauge (5x7mm) and so far
they've not been able to shimmy their way through, despite trying hard.
I remembered to put cardboard collars to defeat cabbage root fly too,
which was another pest that attacked last year.

There does seem to be a sudden huge increase in white butterfly numbers
over the last few days. The garden's alive with them atm; they seem to
be partial to Scabious or Lavender flowers when they can't get
brassicas.

There are some butterflies around that might be mistaken for cabbage
whites, apparently. I've recently read that they've been seen in
considerable numbers.
The UK's biggest ever survey to find the most common butterfly in British gardens - Telegraph

Both small whites and large whites are known as cabbage white and the larvae of both feed on cabbages, so it's pretty academic which one you have!