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Last year, when I started creating the first flower bed I bought two Purple Top Vervain plants (verbena bonariensis). In the past I often lost them due to frost but this year they spread through my garden and I replanted a lot of them in my new flower beds….and they attracts a lot of insects including butterflies. Mid-August I noticed the first Swallowtail visiting my garden and for some weeks this species was a regular visitor, especially they liked the Purple Top Vervain:  Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) Comparing to last year, this year I had more butterflies in my garden but a big part of the garden is still grass/wild and a lot of work needs to be done. At the moment I’m busy creating a ‘larval butterfly garden’ for a lot of species. In my next blog I will write more about this special part of my garden.
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After a very disappointing butterfly weekend in the Eifel last year, the Jordan brothers and I decided to visit an other area in 2025. On the internet we found some clues in an area not too far away. So this summer we drove to Germany and after arrival in the afternoon we noticed a lot of fluttering butterflies, mainly Dusky and Scarce Large Blues. The next morning we found some roosting butterflies, most of the Dusky Large blues are roosting on Great Burnet but his 'grey brother' chose other roosting plants and he was not that easy to find. As we had summer temperatures, both species quickly started flying around and the Scarce Large Blue liked the yellow clover:  Scarce Large Blue The amount of butterflies was fascinating and near the path I discovered an ants nest...not that I have seen the nest but I found four freshly emerged butterflies (both species), hanging low in the gras above the ground. The last morning I found one Dusky Larg Blue which was not roosting on Great Burnet:
It was a nice weekend with of course our traditional 'Kaffee & Kuchen' in a new region and I enjoyed to photograph other species than we usally do in the Eifel. But...I must admit....I miss the old Eifel times with meadows full of butterflies.
A big part of my garden is wild and as on some pieces little hop clover (Trifolium dubium) is growing (one of their larval foodplants) I was wondering if and when I would find the first Common Blues. On the third of August it was bingo…a female visited one of my flower beds. Two weeks later I found the first roosting Common Blue in my garden and since then I found regularly one or two roosting butterflies. My ‘sport’ is to catch them with open wings and the last weeks I learnt that the male butterflies are much easier and more cooperative (= the females flew away immediately):  Common Blue - Polyommatus icarus This autumn I will create a big clover bed to attract more blue butterflies like the Short-Tailed Blue, this rare species is found in a nature area nearby and it would be nice to have this species in my own garden :-).
In the evening I returned to this spot again and between the grass/reed I found a mating couple again. From this couple I found no images on the internet so I assume that they were not noticed by the crowd and fortunately not trampled.  Large Copper - Lycaena dispar batavus (left female and right male) During the Christmas holiday I decided to give myself a special Birthday gift…the Lycaena dispar batavus; it was 17 years ago that I visited the area and took a photo of this rare species. I booked a long weekend and I was curious if I should find and photograph this rare butterfly species again. After arrival my partner and I visited the area where I have seen lot them in 2008; unfortunately I did not find one single Large Copper. As a photographer friend was in the area too I asked him to give me a clue and it was not hard to find the right spot as it was crowded with photographers, bikes and cars. I took my binoculars and walked to the crowd which were running up and down with big lenses to catch this species. I saw two butterflies but this was not the way I like to photograph butterflies so I decided to leave and we made a walk somewhere else to find another spot; unfortunately we didn’t. After our early dinner I decided to return to the hot-spot but again a lot of people were still there. I wanted to drive past but I noticed that they were photographing a mating couple…..so I stopped, took my tripod and camera and asked if I could join the club. Everybody was friendly and I started photographing the two Large Coppers; unfortunately it was very windy and my position was not the best one to have them both sharp. In the beginning more cars, people were stopping but after a while everybody needed to go home for dinner….so suddenly I was alone with two mating Large Coppers…this was THE birthday present I dreamt of:  Large Copper - Lycaena dispar batavus Not rare or endangered, no spectaculair colours and not difficult to find....the unwanted and unhunted Meadow Brown. The only thing about this species is that they always have a keen eye when they are roosting....not the easiest species to photograph. I'm very happy to have this species around my house this year and a few weeks ago I found a roosting one in the grass:  Meadow Brown My next blog will be about a critically endagered and very wanted and hunted species...
As there were not much butterflies (and species) in my garden, some weeks ago I decided to visit an area in Germany to search for some special butterfly species. The weather forecast was not very good but I thought that I will always find other species to photograph. The first afternoon we searched hours for butterflies but could not find much; one Woodland Brown high in the tree.  Woodland Brown The second day a lot of rain came down and we needed to hide under a tree. The only high-light that day were the amount of Black Hairstreaks and that I found a couple of them. The third day I was waiting for the dream species; again a heavy rainshower came down and while we were hiding under a big tree my eye noticed a freshly emerged Black Hairstreak under clover leaves. Finally the sun started to shine for about 15 minutes but no sign of the desired species. The fourth day we waited all morning and the early afternoon only to take a glimpse of one female butterfly.....so the honour of that weekend goes to the Black Hairstreaks!
After a period of drought we had some rain last week and nature has awakened. Every day the plants are growing and within a week the trees are completely fresh green now.....I love this season! And if it's not enough....I was able to photograph a green butterfly. It's one of my favorite, but not easy to 'catch', species: the Green Hairstreak. Long time ago, I often met this species near heathland edges on young birches but they are very active and difficult to catch....and years later they were gone as the birches were too big. Nowadays I rarely see this little green species.  Green Hairstreak - Callophrys rubi The last weeks we were busy outside, creating new flower and vegetable beds, building an insect hotel, planting water lilies in our pond and enjoying fluttering butterflies. Yesterday I noticed the first Map Butterfly and this morning my butterfly season started when everything came together:  After this start I hope to find more butterflies in my garden....a few days ago I created a new vegetable garden with cabbage plants so at least some whites species must come soon.
Today my Christmas Holiday started and it's time to slow down a bit and to choose a butterfly photo from my 2024 album. The 2024 album is an album with the fewest butterfly images ever.....not much butterflies in Aosta/Italy, not much in the Eifel/Germany nor in my own garden. The absence of butterflies is disturbing and the decline of insects must be stopped!  Brown Argus (the one and only) in my garden in July 2024 I hope that better days are coming soon and I wish you all Merry Christmas and the very best for 2025! Merry Christmas - Prettige kerstdagen - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël!!
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Jibt dir dit Leben mal een Buff, denn weene keene Träne. Lach Dir'n Ast und setz Dir druff und baumle mit de Beene.
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