English Butterflies........

Going back to when I was a child, as I usually do........well that is when I lived in Paradise. Sigh!! When I didn't know how fortunate I was......
I have told you that my Dad loved his garden, as did I. He gave me a love of gardens, of wild things and of the English countryside. We went on many country walks together, sometimes Mum came too. I see it as an idyllic time, it probably wasn't but in my memory it is. He grew wonderful Peonies and I have never had any luck with them. I don't think my garden has enough sun. I find that when I buy plants I buy memories. I love Iris because they were in his garden. I love Pansies because he had pansies there and there they grew all year. He had lovely stock, wallflowers and his garden shed was covered in Japanese Quince. The side of the house was covered in Honeysuckle and the front with Forsythia. That was until the Sparrows nested under his bedroom window. Then he pulled it down so they could not do it again. The windows would be open in the summer and no screens there so the breeze would blow in and so would the noise of squabbling Sparrows.
It's butterflies I want to talk about though. Some beautiful ones can be seen in English (British) gardens. Here is a Peacock butterfly.

I get the name of the Peacock mixed up with the Red Admiral even though they are not alike.

I can not look at this beauty and not believe in God. It does not make sense to me that these things came about by chance. If they did, then why would the flowers have landing strips for bees? Why would they advertise the way in for all the honey makers and pollenators. That can not happen without some form of communication in the process of creation. I don't understand how anyone can believe that but they do, and to each their own. Me I thank God for the beauty around us.
This is a Cabbage White.

I know when Dad had vegetables the caterpillars were everywhere and had a sickening smell.I hated them. The worse thing was a bug that preyed on them, they would lay their eggs inside the caterpillar and then they were eaten from inside out, made me so sick to think of it that I disliked the butterfly as well. I have recovered from that now.

The next one is the Small Tortoise shell butterfly. A very common one in Dad's garden.

Also the Painted Lady


Here two Tortoise shell and a Red Admiral


The Comma

The Common Blue.........not so common and very beautiful.



This one is a Small Copper

The next one is a Moth, I always though it was beautiful. A Tiger Moth..........I think the ones I saw were not as red as this but its been a very long time.



These are just a few of the common butterflies that you will see in any English garden with pretty flowers. God's flying flowers.