Allotment wildlife

Come the weekend I frequently find myself torn between spending time on the allotment or venturing further afield. More often than not the allotment takes second place in favour of pastures new or maybe not so new but certainly requiring less physically demanding activity. So opting for some much needed allotment time I enjoyed a few hours gardening and was rewarded with some lovely butterfly sightings, resulting in a new high of 6 species on the plot in one day.


The first visitor to appear was this Ringlet, coming to rest on a comfrey leaf. Later we counted three Ringlets chasing each other, the next one looks fresher than the first and settled in view after flitting around the Raspberry canes. Green Veined Whites were on the wing throughout the day.

In my corner plot, where it meets the perimeter fence we've let the brambles grow in a bid to deter some of our more destructive and unwelcome local visitors. Its a mix of grasses, brambles, hawthorn, climbing rose, thistles and comfrey, which combine to create a pretty sturdy green barrier and prime real estate for wildlife which seems to be working.

Next to appear was this Red Admiral that spiralled in over the hedgerow, significantly bigger, bolder and brighter than the Ringlets.

This Comma initially investigated the brambles before settling on bare earth.

One of three Large Skippers, checking out the comfrey and bramble flowers.

A Robin, fresh from a refreshing bath perched on a post to inspect a patch of newly turned soil before swooping down to pick up a mouthful of insects.

A Small Tortoiseshell basks in the sunshine.

Its the first time Ive noticed Damselflies in our stream near the entrance to the allotments. Its great to see the stream turn into a real wildlife magnet and I'm looking forward to see how it progresses.