June is a month when some spectacular jewels can appear in the garden, hopefully taking advantage of the summer sunshine. Amongst the brightest of these are the various species of damselfly. The azure damselfly, shown here, is one of a number of blue species that can appear around this time of year as it is widespread and abundant throughout Leicestershire. It is found around pools, canals and garden ponds, especially if there is plenty of vegetation where they can hide. They survive only for one year, with eight months of that spent as a larva in the pond.
Equally delightful are the large red damselflies, which are one of the earliest damselflies to appear each year. By this month they will be mating if there is a pond nearby. The male will, rather ungallantly, be gripping the female firmly by the neck whilst she extends her abdomen into the water in order to lay her eggs on the water plants. One reason that he does this is to ensure that he is not replaced in her affections by another male. However, it has also been observed that in this ‘sentinel’ position he has a better all- round view and can rapidly remove the female from dangers, such as marauding frogs.
More than 30 species of butterfly could be on the wing in Leicestershire this month, although many of these live only in rather specialized habitats. One of the most striking of the butterflies that you might see in your garden is the holly blue. The adults will take nectar from a variety of flowers – heather in the case of the individual pictured here. In May and June, the larvae of this species feed on the flower buds and berries of holly, whereas in August and September the larvae feed instead on buds and young berries of ivy. The pupae of this second generation overwinter in the ivy and the adult butterflies emerge the following spring.
If you would like to attract dragonflies and damselflies to your garden then building a pond is essential. It doesn’t matter how large the pond is, a wide variety of animals will soon appear as long as you do not stock any fish. Fish are almost all predatory to some extent, so wildlife ponds are best kept free of fish. Building a pond involves some effort, but attracting butterflies is much easier – all you need is a variety of plants that provide a rich source of nectar at various times of the year. The most successful butterfly plants in my garden are buddleia, hebe, verbena, ivy, marjoram, lavender, honesty, heather and Sedum spectabile. Many of these also have the advantage of providing beautiful flowers. Wild plants such as nettles, brambles, hawthorn and thistle are also good for butterflies, but given their invasive nature they are far less popular choices among our gardeners.
June is a month when some spectacular jewels can appear in the garden, hopefully taking advantage of the summer sunshine. Amongst the brightest of these are the various species of damselfly. The azure damselfly, shown here, is one of a number of blue species that can appear around this time of year as it is widespread and abundant throughout Leicestershire. It is found around pools, canals and garden ponds, especially if there is plenty of vegetation where they can hide. They survive only for one year, with eight months of that spent as a larva in the pond.
Equally delightful are the large red damselflies, which are one of the earliest damselflies to appear each year. By this month they will be mating if there is a pond nearby. The male will, rather ungallantly, be gripping the female firmly by the neck whilst she extends her abdomen into the water in order to lay her eggs on the water plants. One reason that he does this is to ensure that he is not replaced in her affections by another male. However, it has also been observed that in this ‘sentinel’ position he has a better all- round view and can rapidly remove the female from dangers, such as marauding frogs.
More than 30 species of butterfly could be on the wing in Leicestershire this month, although many of these live only in rather specialized habitats. One of the most striking of the butterflies that you might see in your garden is the holly blue. The adults will take nectar from a variety of flowers – heather in the case of the individual pictured here. In May and June, the larvae of this species feed on the flower buds and berries of holly, whereas in August and September the larvae feed instead on buds and young berries of ivy. The pupae of this second generation overwinter in the ivy and the adult butterflies emerge the following spring.
If you would like to attract dragonflies and damselflies to your garden then building a pond is essential. It doesn’t matter how large the pond is, a wide variety of animals will soon appear as long as you do not stock any fish. Fish are almost all predatory to some extent, so wildlife ponds are best kept free of fish. Building a pond involves some effort, but attracting butterflies is much easier – all you need is a variety of plants that provide a rich source of nectar at various times of the year. The most successful butterfly plants in my garden are buddleia, hebe, verbena, ivy, marjoram, lavender, honesty, heather and Sedum spectabile. Many of these also have the advantage of providing beautiful flowers. Wild plants such as nettles, brambles, hawthorn and thistle are also good for butterflies, but given their invasive nature they are far less popular choices among our gardeners.