Butterflies and Buddleia

September is upon us and another summer is gradually drawing to a close. One of the memories I shall take from this summer is the number of butterflies that have visited the garden. Despite the amount of wet weather we have experienced in recent months, the butterflies have not only survived but thrived. Several years ago we planted two buddleia bushes in the garden, with the sole intention of attracting butterflies and they have been arriving ever since. We all see and enjoy butterflies but do we know much about them? Here are some interesting facts:

Butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a laval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged creature. Butterflies are important as agents of pollination, whilst a few species are pests, because they can damage domestic crops and trees in their larval stage. The lift generated by a butterfly is achieved by using a wide variety of aerodynamic mechanisms, these include wake capture, vortices at the wing edge, rotational mechanisms and clap-and-fling mechanisms. They are able to change from one mode to another very rapidly.

It is a popular belief that butterflies have very short life spans. However, depending on the species some butterflies can live for up to a year. Butterflies may have one or more broods per year.

Butterfly eggs consist of an outer shell containing a thin lining of wax to prevent the egg from drying out before the lava has developed. Each egg is fertilized through tiny funnel-shaped openings at one end of the egg. Butterfly eggs are fixed to a leaf with a special glue. The egg stage lasts for a few weeks. Depending on the species eggs may be laid just prior to winter, to hatch in spring. Others lay their eggs in spring to hatch during the summer. From the eggs emerge caterpillars, which mainly spend their time consuming plant leaves although some species are insect eating. Caterpillars mature through a series of instars. Near the end of each instar the caterpillar undergoes a new change in its development as a butterfly. Development of butterfly wing patterns begins by the last larval instar. When the caterpillar is fully grown it stops feeding and begins wandering in its quest to find a suitable pupation site, often under a leaf. The caterpillar transforms into a pupa or chrysalis by moulting for the last time. The pupal transformation into a butterfly through metamorphosis has held great appeal to mankind.

The adult butterfly has four wings covered with tiny scales. The fore and hind wings are separate, permitting a more graceful flight. As the butterfly emerges from the pupa it has to unfold and inflate its wings before it can fly.

The body of the butterfly is made up of three segments. The head, thorax and the abdomen. They have two antennae, two compound eyes and a proboscis. The coloration of butterfly wings is created, not by pigment, but by the microstructure of the scales. This structural coloration is the result of coherent scattering of light by the photonic crystal nature of the scales.

Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some derive nourishment from pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Some species are attracted to sodium in salt and will sometimes land on people attracted by human sweat.

Many butterflies, such as the Monarch, are migratory and capable of long flight. They migrate during the day, using the sun to orientate themselves. The Monarch butterfly will migrate from Mexico to North America, over 2,500 miles. Butterflies are also territorial and will attack other butterflies invading their patch. Basking is common in the cooler hours of the morning. Many species will orient themselves to gather heat from the sun.
Perhaps after reading this article you may see butterflies in a different light. Don't forget to plant those Buddleia shrubs in your garden, they grow very quickly, I guarantee next summer you will have a garden full of butterflies.

Butterflies Pictured (from the top): Cabbage White, Giant Swallowtail, Red Admiral, Regal Fritillary.

Photographs reproduced by kind permission of Jay Cossey http://www.photographsfromnature.com/

Thought For Today

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King Jr

Today's Smile

Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on. The first surgeon from New York, says "I like to see accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.

The second from Chicago, responds. "Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is colour coded."

The third surgeon, from Dallas, says, "No,I really think librarians are the best, everything inside them is in alphabetical order."

The fourth surgeon, from Los Angeles chimes in: "You know, I like construction workers ... those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over."

But the fifth surgeon, from Washington, DC shut them all up when he observed: "you're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and the head and the ass are interchangeable.

Lets Take A Look At The 1950s

From a purely personal prospective the 1950s was an exciting time. But then, I was 9 years of age at the start of the decade, and 19 years of age when it came to a close. At the start of the decade there was a great optimism about the future, World War II had ended five years earlier

and life in Britain was getting back to normal. Looking back, it seems to me, it was a decade that saw the end of an era, when life in Britain changed forever. Up to 1960 everyday life seemed to be lived at a more gentle pace. Particularly, in rural areas, life seemed to have a proper order, which everyone recognised. People had respect for each other and a community spirit prevailed that made people feel they had a sense of belonging, giving them a sense of worth and security.

I remember when I was around nine or ten years of age my whole family, parents, uncle and aunt, grandfather and myself, going for a walk 'round the village' on a summers Sunday evening.

There was the usual viewing of peoples gardens, stopping to chat to various other people and the best bit of all calling at the local pub, sitting outside with beer and stout for the 'grown ups' and a bottle of pop and a packet of crisps for me. Can you imagine that today?

With this being Bank Holiday weekend it started me thinking about Bank Holiday's back then. There was always a huge fete on the local football field, a produce tent for locals to compete to see who could grow the best vegetables, bearing in mind virtually everyone had a vegetable garden in those days, and a fancy dress competition, which paraded through the village streets before arriving at the show for the judging.

As I recall there was no crime as such, just a few minor altercations, which were usually settled by a clip round the ear from the local police sergeants leather gloves.

By the end of the decade the pace of life had quickened. People were more prosperous, neighbourhoods began to fragment as people began to leave their cottages for better housing on the council estates. It was a time when people began to buy their own homes, own their own cars and install televisions and other electrical appliances. Most things could now be bought on credit, a practice hitherto frowned upon. As people moved towards a more materialistic life style they cared less about community involvement and began leading more secular lives. Envy and jealousy gave rise to a new phrase "keeping up with the Jone's." It was the start of life as we know it today.

But what of the wider world? The emergence of a strengthening American economy began to have an influence on the British way of life. By the end of the decade the British pop charts were completely dominated by American 'rock and roll' which in turn gave rise to coffee bars, juke boxes and teddy boys.

The above picture - Top Row (L to R): The Korean war, I love Lucy, popular TV show and Ivy Mike the atomic bomb.Centre Row (L to R): Eisenhower bids for presidency, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Rosa Parks (stood against segregation).Bottom Row (L to R): Suez War, Sputnik (first satellite), Fidel Castro,

In international matters, 1950 saw the start of the Korean War that lasted 3 years. America ended its occupation of Japan in 1951, democratic elections followed. The Suez Crisis, generally regarded as the collapse of the British Empire, in 1956. The European Common Market was established with the Treaty of Rome in 1957. The overthrow of Fulgencio Batista by Fidel Castro in 1959 resulted in the first communist government, not only in Cuba, but in whole western hemisphere. There was continued 'Cold War' friction between the two super-powers America and the Soviet Union. Large scale decolonization started in Africa in the 1950s. Libya became the first African country to gain independence. Nasser became President of Egypt and led Arab States into war with Israel.

During the 1950s the cinema became extremely popular following the deprivations of the Second World War. European directors like Frederico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman won major awards for their films. Notable European stars of the period included Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren.

Pop art took over from the more traditional art and became influential in advertising and propaganda.

Albert Schweitzer, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemmingway and Boris Pasternak were notable Nobel Prize winners during the period.

Famous sportsmen from the time were;Roger Bannister (Athletics), Rocky Marciano (Boxing), Pele (Football) and Len Hutton (Cricket). The 1952 summer Olympics were held in Helsinki (Finland and the 1956 summer Olympics were held in Melbourne (Australia).

The early 1950s saw 'The Golden Age' of couture in Paris and London. The production of couture was important to the prestige and economy of both France and Britain. Whilst traditionally catering for wealthy private clients the couture houses also sought new markets. As the decade progressed they created perfumes, opened boutiques and licensed their designs to foreign manufacturers. By the late 1950s, the leading couture houses had become global brands.

September

Today is the first day of September. Autumn is approaching fast. Here are a few facts about the month of September.

September is the ninth month in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. In Latin septem means seven and septimus means seventh. September was in fact the seventh month of the roman calendar until 153 BC, when there was a calendar reform from the month of Ides of March to the Kalends, or January 1.

In the Northern hemisphere , the beginning of the meteorological autumn is 1 September.

September marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church. September begins on the same day of the week as December every year, because there are 91 days separating September and December, which is a multiple of seven (the amount of days in the week).

In 1752, the British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar. In the British Empire that year, September 2 was immediately followed by September 14.

September's birthstone is the sapphire (pictured left).The meaning is clear thinking.

The birthflowers for September are the forget-me-not (Pictured right) and the aster.