Fleur,
Many thanks for that compendium of articles on wildlife gardening.
Melissa,
Thanks for your article, and welcome.
I was going to write some personal comments here, but they turned into a small article, which I shall run by the editors of The Mediterranean Garden...
Some other comments, speaking primarily as a butterfly and moth man...
We can make efforts to plant and grow so as to encourage wildlife, but populations may fluctuate independently of our efforts. ...Just to be aware.
For instance, two years ago, we had a very good year for African monarch butterflies, especially at a particular spot near Polis (western Cyprus). They were there because their larval foodplant was abundant there (it is generally scarce). But their numbers are generally reflective of how the species is faring in Africa and other areas visited during migration. On this occasion, however, it seems numbers had been enhanced because of ceremonial releases of the butterflies (raised in Spain) at weddings.
Painted ladies provide other observations. Two years ago, there was a mass migration - thousands of them streaming across the countryside in many parts of Cyprus, oblivious of obstacles, for several days. At the same time, many individuals were going about their usual business of flitting around Lantana bushes all day long, without joining-in the migration. The migrants were on the move because of population build-up to the south. This year, in the last couple of weeks, painted lady numbers have been increasing, but with much less evidence of the migratory streams. Most of the individuals seem to remain in one area. At Latchi, there is a stretch of low Lantana camara hedge between coast road and cycleway; it is covered with clouds of painted ladies; easily over 1,000. I've never seen so many. The Lantana hedge is the same as every year.
Two morals from these stories:
- if you plant favourably for butterflies and don't see many, it may not be your fault (don't be disheartened)
- if you get good numbers of butterflies, it may just be luck (but enjoy anyway!)
Mike