By Lyn Fomison
Lynn Fomison is Reserves Officer for the Hampshire branch of Butterfly Conservation, a national charity. This article has been written in her personal capacity as a keen wildlife gardener. At home, with husband Paul, she looks after five acres of garden and wildflower paddocks where butterflies abound. Twenty seven species have been recorded.
If the weather is kind in April many British gardens can expect to be visited by as many as twelve species of butterfly this month. However, it must be said that gardens in the South tend to do better than ones in the North. And that gardens which are close to natural habitats (like natural countryside, or railway lines and canal or river banks in towns) are likely to attract more visitors than gardens where butterflies are isolated from places to breed. So what should we be watching out for? Big, bright and easy-to-spot are some of the butterflies which have spent the winter in hibernation and are now on the wing, looking for places to breed. One of the earliest butterflies to be seen in spring is the large, yellow Brimstone (said to be the original butter-fly) which lays it's eggs on buckthorn bushes. Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Commas all breed on nettles, along with the Red Admiral. The latter was always thought to be a migrant, flying in from the Continent in spring. However, it is now known to be hibernating. Global warming? Or is it simply that people are spending more time observing butterflies? Another big, bright butterfly is the Painted Lady which migrates all the way from North Africa or southern Mediterranean countries.
Small Whites were around in March, so should be seen in even larger numbers in April. Now, it is very hard to tell the Whites apart, particularly when they won't settle for a good view. Female Orange Tips look very like Small Whites, as they lack the distinctive orange colouration seen in the male, but both male and female Orange Tips have a mossy-green underside to their wings. (Incidentally, this orange colouration is a warning that the butterfly is distasteful to birds and contains a high concentration of mustard oils, absorbed by the caterpillar from its food plants.) Orange Tips breed on plants in the crucifer family, to which the cabbage belongs. But unlike their cousin, the Large White, they use honesty, dame's violet, lady's smock and jack-by-the-hedge. These three butterflies have spent the winter in the form of a chrysalis or pupa.
Shady gardens, near woodland or hedgerows, might attract a Speckled Wood - a lovely brown butterfly with bold, cream spots. It's caterpillars feed on grass. The adults, particularly the males, defend their patch of dappled sunshine vigorously and rarely pause to take nectar from flowers, as they flit from tree to tree. Another butterfly that frequents gardens and spends much of its time around shrubs is the Holly Blue. In spring the female lays her eggs on the flowers of female holly, where the caterpillars feed on the developing berries. The Holly Blue is a small blue butterfly, bright and easily spotted. You can help this butterfly to breed by providing holly and by growing ivy up fences, for in the summer the females lay their eggs on developing ivy flowers. Now is a good time to plant both female hollies and ivy. And as well as helping Holly Blues, an ivy clad fence (or wall) is just the place where Brimstones love to hibernate.
In spring, the butterfly garden needs to have some flowers which will provide nectar for butterflies. It is the high-octane fuel that keeps them flying! Choose primroses and drumstick primulas, aubretia, perennial candytuft, bugle, perennial wallflower (Erysimum liniflium), honesty, dame's violet and red campion (liked by moths too). Then there are weeds like dandelions, whose flowers are really popular. And butterflies will visit flowering trees such as plums, apples and cherries.
April is a good time to sow seeds, to provide flowers for the butterflies in the summer. Hardy annuals like candytuft, ageratum, single dahlias and cornflowers are easy to grow. Annual scabious and helicrysum too, if you can provide a bit of warmth for this half hardy annual (HHA). Other good half hardy annuals include statice and zinnias. And there is still time to buy and plant a buddleia, or a hebe like 'Great Orme'.
Now April is the month when people begin cutting lawns with avengeance. But it would really help butterflies to feed and to breed, if you earmarked a piece of grass to keep uncut and planted some wild flowers in it. Butterflies love nectaring on knapweed, scabious and wild marjoram. And if you added plants like bird's foot trefoil in shorter areas you might encourage Common Blues to breed. A long grassy area will help other garden wildlife too and give your garden a very natural feel.
Further information on butterflies can be obtained from Butterfly Conservation at: PO Box 222, Dedham, Colchester Essex. CO7 6BR.
Butterfly Websites:
Further Reading:
Butterfly Book and Seed Suppliers (UK)
Courses:
The Kingcombe Centre, Toller Porcorum,
near Dorchester. DT2 OEQ. Tel: 01300 320684.
The Kingcombe Centre runs
courses in Natural History and Nature Conservation and caters for
all diets including veggies and vegans. The centre is surrounded
by hundreds of acres of ancient meadows. Courses that butterfly
lovers will find useful include:
Visit The Kingcombe Centre web site for more details of these and forthcoming courses.
Butterfly Events:
The garden here at Mount Pleasant, Parkstone Road, Ropley, Hampshire is open Sunday 25th & Monday 26th July 1999. Five acres of wild flower paddocks, ponds, old orchard, veggie garden, all organically managed and butterflies abound. This event is in aid of Hampshire Wildlife Trust and Butterfly Conservation.
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April 1999 Issue
Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 1999