When we first introduced nepeta, or catmint, to our garden, the intention was to bring pleasure to our cats Fred and Holly, and it certainly did. They both adored it, Holly in particular. Those beloved pusses are no longer with us and now it's Woody and Pippin who enjoy it, especially Pippin.
But it's not just the cats. Bees, hoverflies and butterflies are also attracted to the flowers. I was delighted to spot a painted lady on it about a week ago. Just one, rather tattered at the wing edges but not too faded. It may have travelled a considerable distance, perhaps as far as France or northern Spain. I really hoped it would find a mate.
A few days later it returned, recognisable by those ragged wing tips, and this time it was accompanied by another painted lady. The newcomer looked much fresher. Since then I've seen them feeding on the nepeta most days.
Yesterday they were joined by a hummingbird hawk-moth, a delight to see. There was no point reaching for the camera because these moths are such speedy visitors, in and out in seconds. It's said they return to the same flowers at roughly the same time each day. I kept an eye out this morning, but I must have missed its usual visiting time.
I was so pleased with my hawk-moth sighting that last night I decided to put out the light trap, just to see what was about. The most exciting visitor was a poplar hawk-moth.
It's forecast to be a good year for painted ladies and I hope that's true. Unfortunately, it hasn't been a good year for long-eared owls or spotted flycatchers. The loss of the big spruces at the edge of the wood, damaged in winter storms, has probably put the owls off. As for the flycatchers, I don't know what has happened to them. We still have the swallows, though, one brood is already on the wing and perhaps there will be another to come.
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