I mentioned elsewhere what an enormous difference the presence of flowers in the vegetable garden this year has made to the number and varieties of butterflies we’ve seen. Considering that the number and variety here is, even without flowers, comparable to a profusion and diversity that’s not been present in the UK for a good 40 years, then perhaps you can begin to grasp what a wonder this year has been.
One of the most rewarding aspects of starting to explore polyculture and companion planting in the new raised beds have been the effects of growing flowers – both ones we’ve planted and ones that grew themselves – amongst the vegetables. It’s not just the visual impact of so much colour in the garden. All summer long, the garden has been full of butterflies and bees.
The boozing butterfly is a Two-tailed Pasha or Foxy Emperor (Charaxes jasius). Not seen in the UK as its range is too far south. Its feed plant is the Strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, which is part of the original flora of this region.
Butterflies again! The profusion and variety of them here is a continual delight. I’ve been trying to capture this one (on camera) for a few weeks now. Today one obligingly posed for me on a grapevine. The Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius), so called because it is in the UK, though apparently not here as I’ve spotted several.
The number and variety of butterflies on the quinta is growing every day.
Wall Brown (Lasiommata megera).
Butterflies everywhere, particularly the Iberian Marbled White (Melanargia lachesis) which is very numerous here. The butterflies dance in pairs around your feet as you walk the terraces. I also came across several Meadow Browns (Maniola jurtina), a Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia), a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), a Peacock (Inachis io) and a Swallowtail (Papilio machaon).
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