Who is Phil Bowler?
The first two pages of this website will tell you more about the actual garden, but what inspired me to design and maintain an acre of semi-wild garden for the benefit of local butterflies? Well, the fact of the matter is as a young boy I was introduced to butterflies by a boy who found them fascinating, and together we went on to fully explore our neighbourhood in central Derbyshire, searching them out and learning all about them. As I grew up, the interest subsided but it never really left me, and during the long hot summer of 1976 I was on holiday in Cornwall and saw butterflies that up 'til then I had only seen in books. The interest came flooding back, and within a couple of years I had met who was to become my wife, and Ros was the catalyst to really spark things off in a big way.
During the 80s we toured throughout the
UK, seeking out the localised butterflies
and photographing them, basing our
holidays around them. At the same time
I was studying them - I found them
fascinating and began to realise their
individual requirements. Then in 1985 my
childhood dream of having a butterfly
garden was turned into reality, with the
purchase of a house near Belper in
Derbyshire that had an acre of land with
it, including a very mature orchard/woodland
garden. This garden went on to win us
many awards over the years - it boasted a healthy breeding colony of White-letter Hairstreaks amongst its 20 plus total of species. Then in 1996 a sequence of unconnected personal events culminated in us moving to Lincolnshire, where we are doing it all over again!
We have a son Greg, who is at university. Ros works
full time but is also a practioner of holisit therapies.
My 'full time job' is looking after the garden! I am
also an astrologer, working from home.
Check out our websites:
VISIT US!
We have the occasional open day but also take private appointments strictly by appointment.
Also, new from 2004 is the opening of our garden and house for occasional joint NATURE/HOLISTIC experiences. See Ros' website for more info:
I am very nostalgic by nature and in particular love to see the old preserved vehicles from my youth. I am not mechanically minded but if ever became rich would have a fleet of classic cars from the 60s, plus a double-decker Midland General bus for carrying my friends around in! As a compromise I have borne out another childhood fantasy,
and built a 1960s model town in my study, featuring OO
scale model vehicles from my home area of the Notts &
Derby borderlands. I am very easily bored and simply
have to be doing something constructive and original
- it's the Aquarius in me!
I absolutely adore real British beer - quality not quantity - and am a member of the Campaign for Real Ale. Here is a link to their website
You will find various nature/gardening website links on the LINKS page.
Please e-mail with any matters related to gardening or butterflies, especially if you also have a garden devoted to butterflies. Perhaps the most amazing thing about creating a home for butterflies is that, although it was done with butterflies in mind, within a couple of years there is a huge array of wildlife in general: a piece of countryside on your very own doorstep.
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