speckled wood butterfly

The speckled wood butterfly sips the sugary secretion of aphids and lives in woodlands and hedgerows.

In creating a garden for wildlife, the aim is to provide conditions as similar to naturally occurring habitats as possible. So, native shrubs can be found in our garden such as hawthorn, wild privet, crab apple and gelder rose. Each of these native species has its own host insects that may not thrive as well on cultivars of these indigenous species. And why use cultivated forms when the native forms are beautiful in the own right?

The speckled wood butterfly is not a common garden visitor and is becoming more localised in northern England. I'm glad that the garden can give it a helping hand at this time of year.

What a two dimensional place our gardens would be without wildlife.