Butterfly rage

Thunbergia Mysorensis to give it its Latin name. Otherwise know as the Indian Clock Vine. There's a nice specimen in the glass house at RHS Wisley, and today it had a visitor, an Asian Swallowtail, part of the annual butterfly display that runs at the garden until February 24.

If you want a blip visit, make sure you plan your times. This week hasn't been so bad, though not much has been showing, but if you join the weekend crowds prepare for butterfly rage with queues of people crammed in the sauna-like glass house, jostling each other to get that iphone shot of Auntie Nellie with a butterfly on her nose.

Weekdays there's the risk of school parties and always there are the panzer mums. The panzer mums trundle their incredibly well equipped buggies around like tank commanders preparing for the battle of Kursk. They are impossible to pass when pushing side-by-side on the garden paths. They live, eat and sleep with their buggies and are known for their esprit de corps and ferocity in battle.

It's bad enough when they're on the move, but once they've released their tiny shock troops, nothing can stand in their way, not even the Ninja grannies and they are fierce enough. Believe me, these butterfly shots come at a heavy price. I've seen photographers go insane in that place.

There's a problem just now with killer Robins. A pair live in the glass house and they like eating butterflies. The last time this happened the RSPB was summoned, trapped the robins and released them 10 miles away. Meanwhile a new pair were biding their time outside waiting to claim the vacant slot. Look at any image of Wisley and it's peacefulness personified, but there's a dark underbelly. Not everything in the garden smells of roses.

Heartfelt thanks for such a wonderful response to my balloon day yesterday. It fair cheered me up. That butterfly has become my fourth most popular blip behind Wiggo, hope it doesn't overtake the great man. As anyone who visits this spot regularly knows, I like to ring the changes so you can be assured I wasn't going to scuttle back for another . Sorry! One or two more here.

How those panzer mums keep trim.