Crab spider versus butterflies

29 May 2014

My garden seems to be a dangerous place for butterflies at the moment. I’ve got some periwinkle out, and there is a crab spider hiding in it, which has killed both an Orange Tip and a Wall Brown.

I didn’t realise what was going on at first. I saw the Orange Tip on the periwinkle and just thought “Oh good, another Orange Tip”. It was when I walked past again about an hour later and saw it was still on the same flower that I thought something odd was going on and stopped to have a proper look, and all became clear. This sort of spider likes to lurk in a place likely to be visited by the insects that are its prey, and when they land, will grab them and sink their fangs into the body, injecting them with a venom to kill them, after which it will suck the goodness out of them.

Orange Tip being killed by crab spider

I didn’t like losing the butterfly, but spiders have to eat too. However, I walked past again a week later and spotted a Wall Brown butterfly on the periwinkle. I stopped to take a better look immediately, but mainly because I wanted to verify it was a Wall as this would make it the first one of the year, only to find it was also the victim of the crab spider. Within about half an hour the spider had disappeared and the remains of the butterfly were on the ground. This was rather more upsetting, as the Wall is becoming a less common butterfly: it is disappearing fast from inland areas and only hanging on around the coast.

Wall being killed by crab spider

One final photo, to show you a Brimstone which had the sense to keep away from the periwinkle and stick to the honesty close by – as far as I know, it lived to fly away and maybe mate with a female which will lay eggs on the buckthorn I’ve planted at the far end of the garden: it’s about time one did!

Brimstone on honesty flower

 

 

It’s a Robin’s nest

5 May 2014

We’ve now had a sighting of the bird on the nest in our greenhouse, and it’s not a finch, it’s a robin. Our bird book said robin eggs were blue, which is what led to our confusion, but checking on the internet, they often seem to be brown. We’re just as pleased to have her! You can just see her in the photo, peering over the edge of the tray to see what I’m up to.

Robin sitting on her nest

The eggs have just hatched, and we managed to get in while she was off the nest for a quick look – all four eggs have turned into baby birds and all four reacted to us by opening their beaks, so they seem healthy enough. They should fledge in about two weeks apparently – it seems so quick.

We’ve also had the first green-veined white in the garden, as you can see below – the green veind on the under-wings are clearly visible: these are not present if the butterfly is a Large or Small White. It is on the honesty called ‘Corfu Blue’ that I have mentioned before.

Green-veined White

And just to finish off – a lovely clump of bugle (ajuga reptans) in full flower, which is attracting lots of bees. It is one of those plants that spreads quite rapidly if it finds the right spot, and makes for good ground cover – it can get a bit over-enthusiastic, but its dark leaves are so attractive, I forgive it. The white behind is a lovely perennial viola called ‘Ivory Queen’.

Clump of buge in flower