AUTUMNGUIDE

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BUG LIFE IN AUTUMN
& WINTER GARDENS
Just because we are in the traditionally ‘colder’ seasons of the year, don’t give up on
seeing bugs in your garden. Here are a few of the insects which are still about at this time
BUTTERFLIES IN WINTER
People often make sweeping statements,
such as, mayflies only live 24 hours, or
dragonflies and butterflies only live a few
weeks then they die. But, this is not
really true, of course, it is just a function
of our obsession with ‘adult’ creatures.
Insects’ life cycles should not be
thought of in the same way as mammals
like us. Take a typical dragonfly for
instance: most of its life will be as a fully
aquatic nymph in, say, a pond, hunting
other aquatic creatures, sometimes for
years! What we perceive as a ‘dragonfly’
is the final reproductive stage of the life
of the insect, not its ‘whole’ life.
With some moths, this is taken to
extremes. For instance, the hefty and
spectacular Poplar Hawkmoth has not
got the capacity to feed as an adult. All
the energy for this final ‘fruiting’
reproductive stage comes from what it
eats as a caterpillar.
This is a roundabout way of talking
about butterflies in winter. It is often
stated that there are only a few species
of British butterfly which survive the
winter by hibernating, namely:
Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma,
Brimstone and (recently) Red Admiral.
This is true if you think about
butterflies as the adult, flying stage.
But, the rest do not appear in the
spring and summer as migrants (though
some do, notably the Painted Lady and
Clouded Yellow and probably most of our
Red Admirals).
The rest see the winter through as the
earlier stages in the life cycle: eggs,
caterpillars and chrysalids.
Hibernating adult butterflies can be
found in sheltered spots in sheds and
garages and even in houses and should in
general be left well alone and
undisturbed. Sometimes, on warm winter
days, they will fly and attempt to feed.
So, if they are inside, they should be
allowed to get out through an open door
or window.
16 Get To Know Garden Birds 2018