The weather in Ireland in early July 2025 is so-so. Not hot, not cold, not sunny, but not raining heavily. Unlike in 2024, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock caterpillars are being frequently seen on nettles as both butterflies rebuild after two years of wet weather.
Populations are higher this year, but not abundant. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it suffered enormous damage on a day in 443 AD when an earthquake struck central Italy, when the Mount Vettore fault system ruptured.
I have not recorded a Garden Tiger moth in my garden since 2015. Damage is therefore ongoing, so my advice is never to turn one’s nose at a common butterfly. Celebrate each; you never know when we may lose them.
All photos copyright Jesmond Harding were taken in early July 2025.