Insects that may come to those who wait

Fordingbridge, Hampshire We've seen no sign of painted ladies this year. Nor have we been visited by the humming-bird hawk moths we hear reports of. So we wait

Related: Experts solve mystery of painted lady's winter disappearance

The old proverb states that all things come to those who wait. That's not been the case in our garden this year. Early on, there was talk of an invasion of painted lady butterflies. We raised our hopes. When the last influx came six years ago, we had them breeding on Echium fastuosum late in the summer. These plants were in pots that had to over-winter in the greenhouse and, sadly, the butterflies all failed to emerge successfully in mid-December. We've seen no sign of painted ladies so far this year. Nor have we been visited by the humming-bird hawk moths we hear reports of from other places. So we wait.