Insects 2022. Where are they?

This is my 6th year gardening with butterflies and other pollinators in mind and has been the lowest in terms of both butterfly numbers and species diversity, which is a tad disheartening. Only two species are here in higher numbers, Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns. But all other insects seem to be doing great, I very rarely have a week go by without a new species appearing in the garden! Hoverflies and wasps are doing particularly well this year and I've had some sort of tiny bees on my scabious. The only positives with the butterflies is that I've had a new species visit (Ringlet, which takes me up to 18 different species) and had a third Small Copper visit, they seem to find Hemp Agrimony irresistible!

Had a couple of Pipistrelle bats visit my front garden for the first time ever recently and they're revisiting occasionally! Taking that as another sign that small insects are doing well here!

Nick

 

No shortage of insects in my garden this year. They were late showing up but they're here now. I can't name any species because I'm not up on all that, but I've seen all sorts of bees, hover flies, months and butterflies, and grass hoppers. We always see bats in the evening and this summer is no exception. My nasturtium is riddled with caterpillars, which I just left to get on with it, on the basis that the nasturtiums are growing faster than the caterpillars can eat them.

There's tonnes of light pollution here. Quite apart from all the houses, we have LED street lights, plenty of traffic, and a massive chemical works just down the road that illuminates the area for miles.

I have no doubt that light pollution has its adverse effects, but I'm not convinced that LED street lights are that significant to wildlife.

I'm reminded of a study quite a few years ago now where some researchers concluded that insects had declined because there were fewer splattered ones on car windscreens, without taking into account that modern cars are much more aerodynamic than older cars, so a month for example in the path of an older car would splat on the windscreen, the air currents generated by a newer car would just carry it straight over the top. I'm not suggesting that all is well in nature. I just think that some of the studies that get published are not well thought through, and unfortunately often have the detrimental effect of giving ammo to those that do deny the facts, by giving those people a seemingly legitimate excuse to point to flawed science.

 

That is what I noticed too, the bees and hoverflies were late showing up except for the odd bee visiting my nasturtiums, but are all here now, enjoying most of my various flowers, everything from Agastache, Chamomile, Erigeron karvinskianus to Verbena bonariensis and both the wild Violas and the cultivars (they do seem to prefer the wild Violas to the cultivars). My nasturtiums are getting a smaller second wind, they flowered a lot very early, produced lots of seeds, and then I cut them back and they are re-growing and making more flowers.

I just went out in the rain and got some photographs of some of the Violas. The smaller wild Violas are thriving in all the rain, and the bees seem to like them. (I need to learn to take better photographs, my photographs never do justice to the colours of flowers).

 

I planted Hollyhocks this year for the Bees, ok the leaves get rust but the Bees don't mind.

 

I've had a lot of bumblebees and honey bees on the lavenders and other plants. Seen a hummingbird hawk moth just now and a few weeks ago. Not a lot of butterflies but occasionally I've seen one of those very small blue ones. Also small brown ones but don't know the name and a few white ones but not so many, also hover flies.

 

Lots of bees and few hoverflies.

 

All our visitors were late in arriving this year but they're all here now. The garden is buzzing!!

The bats are back and very active at dusk.

 

I've certainly seen a lot less insects this year on the balcony. The usual Cabbage Whites haven't put in a single appearance this year. Bees of any kind have been few & far between as well. I haven't seen a single hoverfly either this summer whereas there are normally lots of them around. I'm not sure if I've seen a single wasp either in what has been a hot summer.

It seems strange not having the buzzzz of bees on the balcony this year. I have never been frightened of them & I often watch their antics trying to get nectar from flowers.

During the past week I had to go up to water the plants in pots in my son's garden while he & his family were away on holiday. It takes me 20 minutes to walk up to his house & another 20 to get back home. Of the 4 times I made these double journeys I hardly saw any butterflies at all. The few I did see were only the Cabbage Whites. Though I saw small butterfly that flew by so close I wasn't able to see what colour it was, it was fast, too.

The most bees I've seen all year were in my son's garden back in June. His "lawn" is full of White Clover & it was in full flower when I visited him, it was also full of bees!

 

You want insects? Come to France....there are millions. Most of them sting, bite or eat your house but there are also lovely ones like hummingbird hawk moths, praying mantises, cicadas, glow worms and huge violet bees that come and hover in front of you while they check you out

 

Good heavens above. How big are these insects?

 

Not many wasps round here.