it's important to share why we need to not be too "tidy"; good lesson for all of us

Here in west Wales , I have a prolific success of butterflies in my meadow , they are everywhere 😍😍

❤ watching this. 🤩 all those beautiful 🦋

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

🤗Thank you Janie - just taking some time out to catch up with everyone, hope you and yours are doing well - best wishes, Joel

Butterflies are symbols of hope!

Sound advice as always. 😊

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Thank you Tracey, been working away a lot recently and just trying to catch up with everyone again - hope you and yours are doing well and survive the predicted heatwave this week! Best wishes, as always - Joel

Another lovely video Joel good to see you back again 👍 Looking forward to catching up with your own garden soon 🦋

Hi from Southern California 93001. We also have never had so many Hummingbird Hawk moths as this year. Love your work, thank you!

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

7 ай бұрын

Hi Shelley! Sorry for the delay in acknowledging you, just trying to catch up with everyone, but this is great to hear - something is helping them and it sounds like your garden could be part of it. What a fantastic reward. Thanks so much for the kind words and support - best wishes, Joel

One of my favourate youtubers

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Thank you, so much - I really appreciate this, your kind words and support make such a difference and I'm so very grateful :) Best wishes, Joel

@thememeking27

8 ай бұрын

​@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton no worries man

Loved watching Bees and Butterflies on my Buddleia this year, Including my first Hummingbird Hawk Moth for the garden.

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

They're fantastic creatures aren't they - it takes a while for your eyes to focus and realise what they are! So glad that you have the buddleia, they're such an important source of nectar for so many insects and a great refuge for birds from this excessive heat of late. Best wishes, Joel

@SB-hg5sq

8 ай бұрын

Thank you, I love the Buddleia, I've got about 4 different types, my fave is the Globossa, doesn't flower for too long but the bees absolutely love it! Been a good year for Gatekeeper and Red Admirals here.

i'm in the north of england, 3 buddleja have sprung up in my garden- I love them because they attract so many butterflies and bees and didn't cost a penny! Given how barren the UK is we need every nectar-source we can get for the pollinators. I've seen quite a few red admirals (loads of cabbage whites as usual)- no hummingbird hawkmoths unlike last year (guessing because it's been wet and mild)

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Absolutely this! Couldn't agree more - buddleja get such bad press and I do understand that they non-native but they've been in the UK for nearly 300 years and, as you rightly point out, they're a vital food source for so many insects and provide vital cover for birds. I've seen 2 hummingbird hawkmoths in the front garden this year but to be honest I'm not home very often due to working around the country, but I do know that they visit the same plants at the same time of day so if you do see one, check the time and if you can be there again the following day he/she will be there too :) Best wishes, Joel

Great area to place a lawn chair have a cocktail and enjoy the sights and sounds for hours.👍

I did no mow 2023 LOL. I hate cutting grass, am not enthusiastic about manicured lawns, and am in the process of turning my front garden into a wildflower meadow, mini orchard, with a Dog Rose fedge. Just by not cutting the grass I hear lots of grasshoppers, and have spotted a small tunnel made by something! 🙂 The plan for next year is a wildlife pond to supercede the preformed one that was here when I moved in, and to plant 2 trees (Spindle and Sorbus). Fare more interesting than a manicured garden IMHO🙂

@SisterDogmata

8 ай бұрын

Might be a vole!

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

So good to read this Beth - one of the worst things I ever saw was in London, I'd gone to undertake a consultation for a new client who had recently moved in, inheriting an awful plastic lawn at the same time. Whilst working out the best way forward I looked down to find a lone grasshopper, stuck there in the middle of the fake lawn... so I brought him home with me in the truck! Not sure if he was best pleased but it made me feel better ;) Your garden sounds wonderful and you're clearly reaping rewards for all the effort and thought you're putting into it. Well done :) Best wishes, Joel

Saw for the first time ever in my garden in ireland the humming bird hawk moth, was so trilled

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

I bet you were Helen! They're pretty amazing and do require a double-take to make sure, shows they're appreciating all your efforts and rewarding your hard work :) Best wishes, Joel

I saw 2 butterflies today, the brown ones in Belfast

@CrazySexyDutchYessss

8 ай бұрын

Speckled wood butterfly? I got quite a few in North Belfast.

My Japanese Anemones are constantly covered in insects at the moment, as the buddleia are nearly done. I love sitting and watching/listening. The newcomers this year have been the crickets. They started to appear in the strawberry bed (front garden) and have spread to the back now. I have had some horrible comments from one particular neighbour but I'm hardly going to take advice from someone whose "garden" is 1mm grass with bare soil borders. 😁 Hoping to get some bulbs planted in the lawn/meadow before I start chemo and no doubt won't feel up to it.

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Hi there - I totally agree re you sticking with the garden you have, you're making a huge difference to creatures that are so desperately in need of our help and it seems like you are being rewarded for your selfless attitude :) Believe me, I've been trying to convince people to garden with wildlife in mind for over 18 years now and it's wonderful to see the increase in people that are now considering and undertaking this - I really hope that soon the neat-tidy-sterile gardens will be a thing of the past and shunned in the same way wilder gardens used to be. There's no reason that gardens cannot be beneficial for both humans and wildlife, none at all. If you need help with bulb choices and advice then please feel free to drop us a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com and we'll ensure the neighbours are envious in the spring :) wishing you a speedy recovery too and I hope that daydreaming of your garden in spring will lessen the pain of the chemo. Best wishes to you, Joel

@coolstertothecore

8 ай бұрын

@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Thank you. 😊 If it goes well, I should be finished with the worst drugs by January so hopefully I'll be feeling better as the bulbs emerge. It's been a year of illness so far and wildlife has been a big help. Apparently your hair can grow back differently after chemo and I have all the main ginger genes so I might look like you by the time the bluebells emerge. 😁 I noticed a neighbour up the road has planted a new native hedge, which I was very excited about! Mine went in this March so just starting to get going. I've added some nectar rich plants and a mini pond for the front garden too this year. I probably wouldn't have thought to do that without your videos so thank you for that. X

Another amazing video thanks for sharing joel 🐸💚🐸🦋🐞

I was going to ask if you thought the reason for the insect abundance was more scrub areas in France, but you answered it for me! I haven't mown my lawn for about 3 years except for some paths through it and the insects in my garden have increased massively but next door keeps theirs perfectly manicured and then complains that I've got all the butterflies 😆

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Haha! That's brilliant, and I'm so glad that you're not bowing to contemporary sterile fashion! Things are changing and I really can see the day coming when bowling green lawns (or worse, astroturf) are a thing of the past, along with all the other fads. Your garden sounds like an absolute haven for so many creatures and you're clearly being rewarded for sticking to your guns - well done! Best wishes, Joel

@31Blaize

8 ай бұрын

@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton Cheers! It's certainly inspired my mum who is now following suit with her lawn because she would love to hear grasshoppers at hers. Not sure my dad fully approves but he doesn't get the final say 😆

Thanks for a great video, to day I saw me first Argiope bruennichi/ wasp spider

The buddleia in my back garden is still attracting red admirals, peacocks and cabbage whites. 🦋 😊

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

They're such a vital plant, often "hated" due to their obvious success. They've been in the UK for 300 years now and I'm pretty sure they've saved a lot of insects from starvation and provided so much cover for birds during this awful heat too. It's such a good feeling seeing the wildlife benefitting from what you've done, or what you've left alone :) Best wishes, Joel

Can't wait to have you here, Joel... your passion for butterflies will be driven to new heights when you get to see the different butterflies we have here . Some of them are so rare people with phds fail to identify them.

Thank you Joel. Still fighting the "greenerydept" of Haarlem. One big storm uprooted around 700 (!) old trees, but they did not learn from it. On the upside: two mating hedgehogs on my cityporch last week, libelles, some butterflies, a few solitary bees. My mini wildlifepond caught this stringy algea around 6 months ago: I just fish it out a few times per month. Greetings, all the best!

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Hi Esther, great to hear from you - sorry about those trees :/ but great to hear about the hedgehogs and other wildlife, you're doing it the best way with the algal growth too, keeping on top of it. Tadpoles use this as a vital food source in spring as I'm sure you already know :) Hope all is good your side, best wishes as always - Joel

@-Pol-

8 ай бұрын

I had loads of algae last year but this year my first tadpoles arrived and the surface was shaded by various pond plants - No algae 👍

Hey Joel! What a beautiful wild place! Many years ago there were so many places like that, left alone and teeming with wildlife. This year has been amazing for butterfly's and moths, I have to agree with you planting a fruit tree really encourages them into the garden. Best wishes.

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Hey you :) So good to hear from you, apologies about not keeping in touch, am trying to take another half hour out to catch up with everyone and each time I do there are even more comments! :) All good though, it certainly is a beautiful place there in France, lots of areas like this and I fully appreciate France is so much larger than the UK, but it doesn't mean the loss of existing habitats like that isn't sad. So glad that you've had good numbers of butterflies and moths, they're such good indicators of a garden that is set up just right :) Hope you and yours are doing well, best wishes - Joel

Would you consider doing videos of what to plant or jobs to do during that particular month throughout the year as a series?

@UkAmphibians

8 ай бұрын

Good idea joel does have quite a few videos of what types of plants which grow in different months check them out a great watch 🐸💚🐸

@OwenLikesGoats

8 ай бұрын

@@UkAmphibians I’ll check them out, thanks. Like the look of your channel, subscribed 🐐👍

@UkAmphibians

8 ай бұрын

@@OwenLikesGoats Thankyou 🐸💚🐸

Great to hear that you saw swallowtail and scarce swallowtail. The latter I thought was more a woodland species due to its main hostplant being blackthorn but I guess that blackthorn is also found in hedgerows alongside farmland in France. It's a pity there was no Large Tortoiseshell enjoying the plums (although you say you found one on another video). Camberwell Beauty too likes fruit in autumn but I'm guessing it is sadly probably rare in lowland France (it is more a cold winter climate butterfly from what I have read)?

Nice to see you're taking a break, where you love to be to boot. I have a monarch caterpillar munching away as I type, I'm keeping a close eye on it. If I see a praying mantis with it, I've hate those even more than I already do.

Great video, reminds me there are still butterflies about this year, and if I get opportunity it’s worth getting out there, especially this week which is forecast to be warm. Great seeing the Swallowtails not sure the exact species I saw earlier in the year, I presumed it was a European one. Regards

my no mow summer hasn't been so great. I allowed the grass to grow up until early summer before it got too difficult to pick up after 2 large dogs! it's a small garden to begin with. I'm now opting to put clover seeds down rather than longer wildflower species just because of the dogs. I hope it's still beneficial to wildlife.

@archiediggins641

8 ай бұрын

I'm with you re trying to keep up with the dogs. You could perhaps just try a corner next time where you don't have to walk through.

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Hi there! Sorry to hear that, but as someone said below, choosing a path/area in late March means that the area can continue to be mown without detriment to any creatures that are using the longer areas, but I do empathise re dogs. A clover nectar lawn will be just as beneficial - forgive me if you have seen already but it is possible to mow on a high setting throughout if you have an established lawn - you can see one here which is vital in spring: kzread.info/dash/bejne/h3qKu5KLZJfKXdI.html and here's the video on the clover lawn: kzread.info/dash/bejne/dXuTucx-pNmdnqQ.html If you wanted any advice about which plants are good to plant directly into a lawn (seeds directly into a lawn can struggle and may be a waste of money) then do feel free to drop us a line at enquiries@wildyourgarden.com and I'll happily help recommend/give advice. Best wishes, Joel

We’ve had so many butterflies this year! They’ve been loving my marjoram flowers….so have the bees! Our wee Croft is a mix of wild & manicured, but every time I cut the manicured grass, I have to go really slow, so I don’t chop any of the teeny frogs up 🥴🙈 on average, I see at least 4 every time! 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐝🐝🐝🐝🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

We too have a house in France but a bit further south in The Limousin. The banning of pesticides has resulted in the pavements being full of wild flowers...which I love...some people..including some of our French neighbours...think it makes the village look scruffy. There has been large areas of wildflower patches planted on all sides of the village and a circular walk around the entirety of the village (about 50 minutes) is just a sheer delight, all manor of butterflies, including Clouded Yellows, which I've never seen in the UK and literally swarms of Tiger Moths. France is roughly twice the size of GB, with a similar population size, that would be akin to the population of the Uk being half what it is now, we'd certainly notice the difference.

Unfortunately my meadow is full of docks . I leave areas of nettles and otherwise bits but they do tend to spread. My pear tree didn't fruit this year but I am.leaving windfall apples about. I also grow buddleia but I still don't get the butterfly numbers I used to get in the 80s when I first moved in. Will keep trying though.

Great advice Joel! Red admirals and peacocks have done well here this year 😁🌱👍

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

Hey Amir! Hope you and yours are doing well, so sorry I've not been able to keep up with everyone again, trying to make the most of the lighter evenings while they remain so just taking half hour out to try to catch up with you all. So good to hear about the Red Ads and Peacocks, shows you're doing something right :) Best wishes, as always - Joel

@AmirsAllotment

8 ай бұрын

@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshtongreat to hear from you Joel! Keep up the fantastic work, I know your super busy, but the content you produce is so informative and inspiring my friend! 😊👍🌱

I’m in south Leicester & ive not seen so many red admirals in a long time, sadly few other butterfly types other than meadow brown, cabbage white & one peacock. Would conference pear & eating apple trees be equally as helpful for wildlife as other fruit trees?

Beautiful, beautiful video. Looks delightful with nature doing its very own thing, as intended. So many stunning pollinators. Doesn't it make you feel all warm seeing those stunning gifts provided by momma nature her glorious self. My back garden is the complete opposite of manicured, neat and tidy. Really not my kinda thing, nor is it natures kind of thing. No mow is the best thing ever. I've been greatly rewarded with the beautiful insects, pollinators and so on. And you can be sure my garden will be left to protect everyone through the harsh winter. Until next time, thank you🌻

There is a distinct lack of tortoiseshell butterflies in our area this year! Is that a widespread thing or localised 🤔

I saw my first Jersey tiger moth a few days ago here in Greater London. In flight I thought it was a butterfly but once it landed I saw it was a moth.

@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton

8 ай бұрын

They're so vivid aren't they James, easily mistaken for a butterfly at first glance. Along with the hummingbird hawkmoth they're such a delight to see during the day and remind me of all the hard work that moths do during the night that goes unnoticed a lot of the time :) Hope you and yours are well, best wishes - Joel

do you have any suggestions of a less invasive buddleja variety?

@seanhammond8537

8 ай бұрын

I bought a blue chip buddliea dwarf variety that’s not invasive online hope that helps 👍

@maruminc

8 ай бұрын

@@seanhammond8537 thanks! :)

@ev1677

8 ай бұрын

Just deadhead and don't let it go to seed to help manage the spread but at this point tbh they're absolutely everywhere, never getting rid of em now

I thought that comma butterflies laid their eggs on hops.

Lovely video . Can't do it if I don't cut my grass we get a letter through the door from our council.

@frealafgb

8 ай бұрын

That's a shame. Our council seem very supportive. We asked the mowers not to come back till winter at the beginning of May, and they've stuck to it!! The council also recently asked us if we want to buy trees for our road /in a park this autumn/winter, so I'm going to order a couple for the big grassy bank they didn't mow this summer to make it even nicer. So don't give up hope and maybe mention that other councils are enabling residents to rewild and that they should too!!

@archiediggins641

8 ай бұрын

You could try just leaving the edges but make em a good foot and still cut the interior. Grass cut like that in spring/summer can actually look neater because of the contrast.

@frealafgb

8 ай бұрын

@archiediggins641 or vice a versa, leave the middle, cut the edges.

Eating plant based is also so important in increasing biodiversity, & needs a mention too.

@ev1677

8 ай бұрын

No it isn't

@coolstertothecore

8 ай бұрын

There's a charity (in the UK) that buys farmland, previously used for grazing livestock, and lets it rewild. I think it's a brilliant idea as people start to eat less meat.