tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post2021770007463130076..comments2023-06-04T00:32:10.085-07:00Comments on A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF MY WILDLIFE GARDEN: Hoverflies, Bees and Big Butterfly CountRagged Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14090463834740346114noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-55046308265987091192015-07-23T03:03:49.686-07:002015-07-23T03:03:49.686-07:00Thanks so much Ian - sorry for not replying earlie...Thanks so much Ian - sorry for not replying earlier - seem to have missed your comment. Many apologies.Ragged Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14090463834740346114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-30632854764113033982015-07-23T02:58:11.265-07:002015-07-23T02:58:11.265-07:00Thanks so much. Weather has been duller this week ...Thanks so much. Weather has been duller this week with cloud and rain so not so many insects about - its amazing how they suddenly all appear when the sun comes out :) Do have some moths to photo today so will put them on here when I have a minute.Ragged Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14090463834740346114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-37874507327223886902015-07-22T23:21:24.671-07:002015-07-22T23:21:24.671-07:00The hoverfly photos are great, especially the Marm...The hoverfly photos are great, especially the Marmalade one in flight! So happy you saw and captured the Large Skipper! Have tons of Gatekeepers here now, but not sure if there will be as many as last year. But it's still a good year for them. :-)Millymollymandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990749863025598526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-62962962674510528732015-07-21T08:06:55.140-07:002015-07-21T08:06:55.140-07:00Thanks very much David. We tend to get more Gatek...Thanks very much David. We tend to get more Gatekeepers in the garden than Meadow Browns. Interesting how it varies countrywide and even throughout one particular county especially with the "commoner" species. Found a colony of Ringlet close to home recently but we rarely get them in the garden.<br /><br />Good to see the sunshine slowly starting to bring out the butter and hoverflies :)Ragged Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14090463834740346114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-71932159349145056422015-07-21T08:04:44.794-07:002015-07-21T08:04:44.794-07:00Thanks very much Amanda. Hoverfly numbers in the g...Thanks very much Amanda. Hoverfly numbers in the garden have shot up in the last week. Praying for buddleia to open more flowers here to bring in more butterflies!<br /><br />I have the micro book - as you say its very expensive but excellent. Have to admit I only, in the main, try and id micros that look distinctive! Well that is distinctive until you look at the book!!<br /><br />Some moth-ers get a bit fidgety about calling the smaller moths micros as they are all moths after all! Rather than being a taxonomic reason I think its something that has just developed with the smaller moths being called micros and the large ones macros. Although some micros are bigger than some macros!! Most but not all of the micros are classed as more "primitive" moths.Ragged Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14090463834740346114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-43998907268157319552015-07-21T07:42:19.056-07:002015-07-21T07:42:19.056-07:00Some nice butterflies there Caroline, the Gatekeep...Some nice butterflies there Caroline, the Gatekeeper especially as I have only recorded it a couple of times at our East Yorkshire home (though it does occur commonly on the other side of the Wolds!).<br /><br />Great pics of the hoverflies too :-)<br /><br />Kindest regards :-)Grosmontinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15021561871348219451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-76140450987060928992015-07-21T07:01:58.810-07:002015-07-21T07:01:58.810-07:00Nice photos Ragged Robin.Nice photos Ragged Robin.Ian Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01407785573213070860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-49827634231712520032015-07-21T04:58:29.945-07:002015-07-21T04:58:29.945-07:00Wonderful post, nice to see some hover flies numbe...Wonderful post, nice to see some hover flies numbers seem a bit low to me this year, just had Speckled Wood in my garden but the Buddleia should be out soon and that brings a few more in.<br />I have been paying special attention to the micro moths visiting the garden too as I think they get a little left out, not been big and showy and some more common names would help..Hope to get the book next month (very expensive) on Micro moths.<br />Going back to your early catch of the magpie moth (lovely) lucky enough to have seen a few here, what makes it a micro moth? as they are large enough to be a moth...<br />Amanda xxAmanda Petershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16760505541954557539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-48757100584306563522015-07-20T05:02:52.252-07:002015-07-20T05:02:52.252-07:00Thanks very much for the comment Andrew. Its a gre...Thanks very much for the comment Andrew. Its a great point of yours concerning the idea of a campaign to name as many of the more common species that just have latin names to engage more people. The hoverfly id book I was using just had the scientific name for the Pied Hoverfly but the common name used on Twitter makes the species far more memorable.<br /><br />Macro moth names are particuarly wonderful and one of the reasons why I became so interested in the group in the first place but many of the so-called "micro" moths don't have common names.<br /><br />I have a feeling there was a move to give common names to a group that didn't generally have them but at the moment the type of wildlife escapes me :( Will let you know if and when I remember it! Have a feeling it may have been snails or spiders?Ragged Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14090463834740346114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-84888183455839323442015-07-20T03:19:31.921-07:002015-07-20T03:19:31.921-07:00Nice images and this brings me to the thought (rat...Nice images and this brings me to the thought (rat tailed radish - great name) - we give butterflies, some moths, hoverflies and other invertebrates common names, but is there a need for a campaign to name as many of the common species as possible - would that get people more engaged if they could name them?The Wessex Reiverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01781303871936178731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-66682560034939900762015-07-20T02:58:03.293-07:002015-07-20T02:58:03.293-07:00Hi Julia - Thanks so very much for leaving a comm...Hi Julia - Thanks so very much for leaving a comment. We have a similar situation here with hoverflies - there do seem more than ever this year. Not so many butterflies here either although am hoping we may attract more when the buddleias are in full flower - there are only a few open flower heads at the moment. Lots of bees here too - have been watching leaf cutter bees going in and out of the bee "hotels" :)Ragged Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14090463834740346114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1061349420950897420.post-51674945104910838602015-07-20T01:27:51.545-07:002015-07-20T01:27:51.545-07:00Great photos.. our garden is also full of bees and...Great photos.. our garden is also full of bees and hoverflies.. in fact we are being bombarded with hoverflies as we go about pottering in the garden. More hoverflies this year than we've ever seen and it's lovely to see. Not so many butterflies about this year I've noticed.. the buddleias are out and usually covered in butterflies but not this year yet.Julie https://www.blogger.com/profile/15712709232628195386noreply@blogger.com