jaz :twt: :wales_flag:
boosted
I was just checking how my First Gold hop plants are doing when I spotted this comma butterfly sunning itself on the wall right next to them. And guess what its caterpillars like to eat.
Clue: it ain't egg-and-cress sandwiches........
More info in alt text.
#butterflies #hops #gardening #gardenwildlife #plants #gardenpests #homebrewing
Clue: it ain't egg-and-cress sandwiches........
More info in alt text.
#butterflies #hops #gardening #gardenwildlife #plants #gardenpests #homebrewing

A comma butterfly, so called because of the white comma shaped mark on the underside of its wing. Its caterpillars love to munch on stinging nettles, which I don't mind, and hops, which I do mind!
A friend lost his whole hop crop to unidentified caterpillars last year.

Hop plants growing up a sunny wall. This is First Gold, a 'hedgerow' variety: that is, it only grows to 2-3 metres.