GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE - BUTTERFLIES

Written & Illustrated by Pauline Lloyd

butterfly on lavender

Cabbage White on Lavender

Many British butterflies are currently in decline. Of our 59 resident species, 15 have declined by more than 50 per cent and five have become extinct according to a recent comprehensive survey carried out by Butterfly Conservation. And it appears to be species with specialist requirements that are particularly vulnerable: the generalists tend to survive. Road building, house building, changes in farming practice and the cessation of traditional woodland management techniques, such as pollarding and coppicing, have all helped to destroy their natural habitat. But by setting up a butterfly area in our gardens we can do much to reverse the damage and ensure that these beautiful creatures survive. And I am sure that you will find that butterfly gardening is a most rewarding occupation! For butterflies are not only attractive to look at and interesting to watch, they are also important pollinators and are therefore extremely useful creatures to have flying around your garden. Large numbers of butterflies won't just simply come into your garden, though. You will need to entice them in and once they are in your garden, you must encourage them to stay. But, this is not nearly as difficult as it may first seem, providing you can meet their requirements.

So what then do butterflies need? First of all, butterflies need a constant supply of nectar. So, when setting up your butterfly area you will need to provide as many different nectar plants as possible, some flowering in spring, some in summer and some in the autumn. Secondly, if you want butterflies to breed in your garden, or on your allotment you will need to provide a selection of caterpillar food plants as well. In addition, butterflies need warmth and shelter, so a butterfly border is best sited in a warm, sunny position and shelter is easily provided by means of a fence or hedge. It is also a good idea to provide hibernating homes for your butterflies - hedges and ivy are ideal for this purpose.

The Butterfly hedge

As previously mentioned hedges act as windbreaks and provide shelter and hibernation sites for butterflies. However, some hedging plants are especially useful because they also provide nectar for butterflies and/or food for their caterpillars. The catkins of sallow (pussy willow), for example, will provide early nectar for the small tortoiseshell, brimstone, comma and peacock butterflies when they come out of hibernation. And sallow is also the caterpillar food plant for the larvae of the purple emperor and the Camberwell beauty butterflies and for many moth larvae. Purging buckthorn is another good hedging plant, providing nectar for the brimstone butterfly and food for its caterpillars. Holly grows well in a hedge and is of course the caterpillar food plant for the holly blue, whereas blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) supplies food for the caterpillars of several species of hairstreak. However, don't forget that the eggs over-winter on blackthorn twigs, so don't cut your hedge at this time of year! Bramble has excellent all-round wildlife value, not just for butterflies. It provides nectar for many species of butterfly including the speckled wood, ringlet, hairstreak, white admiral and gatekeeper and is also a caterpillar food plant for the green hairstreak and grizzled skipper. And finally there's privet. Grow the wild variety (Ligustrum vulgare) and keep a look out for red admirals, hairstreaks and commas feeding on its nectar!

So as you can see, if you have enough room it is well worth including a hedge in your garden. But as well as the larger hedging plants mentioned above, you could grow many kinds of wild flowers underneath your hedge in order to attract butterflies. For example, bugle (Ajuga reptans), lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), primrose and red campion are all used by butterflies as a source of nectar. Whereas hedge mustard (Sisymbrium officinale), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) and sweet and dog violet are important caterpillar food plants, mainly being used by the orange tip and various species of fritillary. Traveller's joy (Clematis vitalba) will also grow well in a hedge and provide nectar for butterflies. Or try including some wild honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) which is the caterpillar food plant for the white admiral and the marsh fritillary and will also supply butterfly nectar and nectar for certain moths.

Cultivated plants of special value to butterflies

buddleia bush One of the best types of cultivated plant for attracting butterflies into your garden is buddleia (photo left), also known as the 'Butterfly Bush'. At least ten species of butterfly have been recorded feeding on this plant. Reaching up to seven metres in height, buddleia is a shrub that is best grown against a wall in a sunny position. Buddleia davidii, B. globosa, B. crispa and B. x. weyeriana are all attractive to butterflies and by selecting more than one species it should be possible to extend the flowering season from May to October. And although much smaller Verbena bonariensis (vervain) is nearly as good as buddleia for attracting butterflies. For a supply of autumn butterfly nectar you can't beat Michaelmas daisies. However, not all types of Michaelmas daisy are equally attractive to butterflies, so it's often a good idea to start off with a mixed packet, although the variety 'Barr's Pink' is supposed to be especially good for butterflies and should attract peacocks, commas and small tortoiseshells. Ice plant (Sedum spectabile ) also provides late nectar, flowering from September to October. But avoid the variety 'Autumn Joy' which isn't attractive to butterflies. Many species of Hebe also make excellent butterfly plants. Try H. albicans, H. speciosa, H. brachysiphon, Hebe x fransiscana or 'Hebe Midsummer Beauty' which will all attract butterflies. However, by far the best varieties to use are 'Hebe Great Orme' and Hebe xandersonii variegata.

butterfly on French marigold There are of course many other cultivated garden plants of value to butterflies. These include false goat's beard (Astilbe spp.), dahlias, cosmea (Cosmos bipinnatus), coreopsis, caryopteris, yellow alyssum (this is the 'Gold Dust' variety of A. saxatile), goldenrod (Solidago canadensis ), heliotrope 'Cherry Pie' (Heliotropium peruvianum), both African and French marigolds (photo left), lilac, shasta daisy, wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare,) sweet william and sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis).

nasturtium For attracting white butterflies into your garden try nasturtium (photo right), hyssop or the old English varieties of lavender. And of course you can't beat the cultivated cabbage! If you are thinking of making a rockery or a dry wall, then the 'Purple Cascade' variety of aubretia, arabis and red valerian are all good plants to use in this situation and will provide valuable nectar for butterflies.

Wildflowers of value to butterflies

Many of our native wildflowers are very attractive to butterflies and can easily be grown in a garden or on an allotment. Buttercups will provide butterfly nectar, as will dandelions, the latter being used by species such as the painted lady and brimstone. Many types of thistles are extremely popular with butterflies, especially globe thistle. ivy Ivy (photo right) is an excellent source of autumn nectar for red admirals in my garden and is also used by the painted lady and comma. In addition the brimstone butterfly often hibernates in ivy. And of course the holly blue caterpillar uses it as an alternative caterpillar food plant to holly. The stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a caterpillar food plant for many butterflies including the red admiral, peacock, comma, painted lady and small tortoiseshell. Bird's-foot-trefoil is a valuable caterpillar food plant for many types of blue butterfly and caterpillars of the Duke of Burgundy fritillary eat cowslip and primrose. Vetches are used both as a source of nectar and as a caterpillar food plant by many species of butterfly, as is clover. Lady's smock (also known as cuckooflower) is ideal for growing beside a pond or in other damp areas. It provides butterfly nectar for the adult orange tip as well as food for its caterpillars. Wild thyme (Thymus drucei) is much loved by many butterflies, especially when it is grown in large patches. Other wildflowers that will supply nectar for butterflies include ragworts (Senecio spp.), ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi), selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), red campion, white campion, bladder campion and hemp agrimony.

Grasses

And finally I must mention that grasses are important to many kinds of butterflies. Grasses (such as false brome, tufted hair grass, cock's foot, meadow grass, the fescues, Yorkshire fog, timothy and common bent) are important caterpillar food plants for a number of butterflies, being especially important to the caterpillars of some of the brown butterflies and to several species of skipper. Such grasses can be used to create a hayfield or meadow. Wildflower seeds such as those of yarrow, meadow buttercup, meadow crane's-bill, ragged robin, cowslip, selfheal, red clover, black knapweed, meadowsweet, or oxeye daisy can be sown in with the grass seed, the flowers being a source of butterfly nectar as well as making the meadow look more attractive. However, if you do decide to include flowers in your hayfield, it is often a good idea to purchase a ready-made up wild meadow mixture from a specialist seed catalogue because some of the grasses mentioned above are too vigorous for use in a flowery meadow. Such a 'Butterfly Meadow' mixture (Ref no. 21172) can be purchased from John Chambers who offer a wide selection of seeds of plants attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. Other good stockists of butterfly plants and seeds are listed below.

Stockists of Butterfly-Friendly Products:

Recommended Reading:

  1. Gardening for Butterflies by Dr Margaret Vickery (Butterfly Conservation). Available from The Organic Gardening Catalogue for £5.50 + postage (see stockists for address details).
  2. Creating and Maintaining a Garden to Attract Butterflies by John Killingbeck (National Association of Environmental Education). Available from: John Chambers, 15 Westleigh Road, Barton Seagrave, Kettering, Northants. NN15 5AJ. (Tel: 01933 652562.) Price £2.50.
  3. Starting a Butterfly Garden by Peter Cawdell. Also available from John Chambers. Price £5.60.

The Vegan Organic Network

This article was originally written for the Vegan Organic Network and has been reprinted from their twelve-page information booklet entitled Gardening for Wildlife. This illustrated information booklet provides information on many of the plants that will encourage birds, butterflies, bees and hover flies to come into your garden. Wildlife Booklet

If you would like to order a printed copy, then send payment to Sue Fox at the address given below. Gardening for Wildlife is also available as part of a set of information sheets, covering many different aspects of vegan organic growing. The information sheets currently available in the series are:

These information sheets cost £4.00 per set, or if you would like to purchase individual sheets, sheets 1 to 5 are 50p and sheets 6 and 7 are £1.00 (sterling please if outside the UK). Cheques should be made payable to 'The Vegan Organic Trust'. Information sheets can be obtained from: Sue Fox, 30 Helvellyn Road, Wigan, Lancs WN5 9RU. Tel: 01942 214660. E-mail: nicsuefox@btopenworld.com. If you would like to join the Vegan Organic Network, then Sue also takes care of membership. Alternatively, you can join online at the Vegan Organic Trust web site.

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Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 2002