Gardening for Butterflies
   
Gardens are an increasingly important refuge for many of our native butterflies and moths. Adult butterflies visit flowers to obtain nectar, a sweet, sugary substance which they suck from the flower using their proboscis. They feed on a wide range of flowers. Many species will also feed on other sweet substances such as rotting fruits.

The plants listed below will help to attract butterflies to your garden. For best results, flowers should be grown in sunny, sheltered places.

Many of the plants listed are unsuitable for the larvae of butterflies. To be sure of seeing butterflies regularly in your garden, it is worth leaving a small area of your garden free to grow the larval food plants. The larvae (caterpillars) eat leaves, usually of wild plants... some of which most people would class as 'weeds'.

A really important larval plant is the Common Stinging Nettle. The Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell all need Stinging Nettles to breed. Nettles need to be growing in a sunny location to encourage egg laying.

You could also encourage Thistles for the Painted Lady, grow Cabbages and Nasturtiums for Cabbage White and Small White butterflies. Garlic Mustard and Lady's Smock will encourage Orange-tip and Green-veined White and Alder Buckthorn for the Brimstone butterfly. The larvae of Holly Blues, not surprisingly feed on Holly in the spring but need Ivy for their caterpillars in late summer.

Popular Garden Nectar Plants for Butterflies

Green-veined White
Comma
Red Admiral
African Marigold Tagetes erecta
Alyssum   Alyssum sp.
Aster   Aster sp.
Aubretia   Aubretia deltoides
Bramble (Blackberry)   Rubus fruticosus

Buddleia

Buddleia sp.
Candytuft   Iberis amara
Catmint   Nepeta sp.
Clover   Trifolium repens
Common Fleabane   Pulicaria dysenterica
Coreopsis   Coreopsis tinctoria
Cornflower   Centaurea cyanus
Cranesbill   Geranium sp.
Dahlia   Dahlia sp.
Daisy   Bellis perennis
Field Scabious   Knautia arvensis
Forget-me-not   Myosotis sp.
French Marigold   Tagetes patula
Globe Thistle   Echinops sp.
Golden Rod   Solidago sp.
Heather   Erica sp.
Hebe   Hebe sp.
Hemp Agrimony   Eupatorium cannabinum
Ice Plant   Sedum spectabile
Knapweed   Centaurea sp.
Lavender   Lavandula angustifolia
Lobelia   Lobelia sp.
Lychnis   Lychnis coronaria
Marjoram   Origanum vulgaris
Michaelmas Daisy   Aster novi-belgii
Mint   Mentha sp.
Pansy   Viola sp.
Phlox   Phlox sp.
Privet   Ligustrum sp.
Purple Loosestrife   Lythrum salicaria
Ragwort   Senecio sp.
Red Valerian   Centranthus ruber
Rock Rose   Helianthemum sp.
Shrubby Cinquefoil   Potentilla fruticosa
Sneezewort   Achillea sp.
Sweet William   Dianthus barbatus
Thyme   Thymus sp.
Verbena   Verbena sp.
Warwickshire Garden Butterflies
The list of butterflies which are recorded in gardens in Warwickshire is shown below. Alongside each species, the most common larval food plant is listed.

In order to encourage these species to breed in your garden, you need to also leave wild areas where larval food plants such as Common Nettles can grow.

Most Widespread Garden Species
Peacock Nettles
Red Admiral Nettles
Large White Cabbages
Small White Cabbages
Small Tortoiseshell Nettles
   
Less Widespread Garden Species
Brimstone Buckthorn
Holly Blue Holly, Ivy
Speckled Wood Coarse Grasses
Gatekeeper Coarse Grasses
Comma Nettles, Hops
Green-veined White Garlic Mustard
Painted Lady Nettles, Thistles
Orange-tip Lady's Smock
Meadow Brown Coarse Grasses
Common Blue Birds-foot Trefoil
   
Least Widespread Garden Species
Small Copper Sorrel
Ringlet Coarse Grasses
Large Skipper Coarse Grasses
Small Skipper Coarse Grasses
   
Local Wild Flower Supplies
All the wild flowers from 'The Wildflower Patch' are native to the Coventry and Warwickshire area from ethically and sustainable source seeds. All plants are grown in non peat compost from Coventry's green waste, watered with rainwater and with only minimal natural pest control.

Contact Tracey Drew
The Wildflower Patch
t: 07712 224192
e: tracey@wildflower.plus.com
w: www.thewildflowerpatch.co.uk
 
Painted Lady
 
Web Links
Some useful gardening links from the internet.

BBC Gardening - www.bbc.co.uk/gardening
BBC Garden Wildlife - www.bbc.co.uk...
   
Preferred food plants by species
The following list provides details of known adult butterfly food plants which each species has been reported to nectar from.

Brimstone

African Marigold, Asclepsis, Aubretia, Beans, Dandelion, Dianthus, Lavender, Nepeta, Phlox drummondii, P. paniculata, Primrose, Primula denticulata, Teasel, Thistle, Valerian.
Comma Beetroot, Bramble, Buddleia, Helenium, Ivy, Plum, Privet, Pear, Scabious, Sedum, Thistle, Valerian.
Common Blue

Bird's-foot Trefoil, Bramble, Buddleia, Chrysanthemums, Clover, Cornflower, Echinops, Erigeron, Hyssop, Knapweed, Lavender, Michaelmas Daisy, Mint, Nepeta, Phlox,-drumnondii, Rosebay willow herb, Sedum, Thistle, Verbena bonariensis.
Gatekeeper

Aster sinensis, Bramble, Buddleia, Candytuft, Chrysanthemums, Corn Marigold, Cornus variegata, Hebe, Helichrysum, Heliotrope, Marguerite, Marjoram, Mayweed, Mignonette, Mint, Nepeta, Thistle, Thyme, Valerian, Yarrow.
Green-veined White Aubretia, Aquilegia alpina, Buddleia, Forget-me-not, Heliotrope, Honesty, Lavender, Michaelmas Daisy, Nepeta, Strawberry.
Holly Blue Forget-me-not, Holly, Ivy, Prunus.
Large Skipper Feverfew, Valerian.
Large White

African marigold, Aubretia, Buddleia, Calliopsis, Ceratostigma willmottiae, Dahlia, Daisy, Dianthus, Echium, Hebe, Heliotrope, Inula, Ivy, Lantana, Lavender, Lilac, Limonium, Lobelia, Marigold, Mignonette, Nepeta, Privet, Sweet Rocket, Teasel, Valerian, Verbena bonariensis.
Marbled White Buddleia, Campanula lactiflora, Candytuft, Delphinium, Erigeron, Nepeta, Thistle.
Meadow Brown

African Marigold, Bramble, Buddleia, Campanula lactiflora, Chrysanthemum maximum "Esther Reed", Heliotrope, Inula, Lavender, Marjoram, Nepeta, Phlox spp., Privet, Thistle, Thyme, Valerian.
Orange-tip

Aubretia, Cheiranthus, Forget-me-not, Garlic Mustard, Honesty, Lady's Smock, Sweet Rocket.
Painted Lady Buddleia, Sedum.
Peacock


African Marigold, Ageratum, Alyssum, Bramble, Buddleia, B. globosa, Ceratostigma willmottiae, Coltsfoot, Cornflower, Dahlia, Daisy, Dandelion, Dianthus, Echinops, Inula, Lantana, Liatris, Ligularia dentata, Limonium, Marigold, Marjoram, Privet, Scabious, Sedum, Teasel, Thistle, Valerian, Virginia creeper, Water mint.
Red Admiral Buddleia, Dahlia, Fuschia, Hebe, Hydrangea, Ivy, Michaelmas Daisy, Plum, Apple, Pear, Sedum, Yarrow.
Ringlet Bramble, Dianthus, Nepeta, Salvia.
Small Copper Daisy, Helichrysum, Inula, Knapweed, Lavender, Michaelmas Daisy, Phlox paniculata, Privet, Rosebay Willowherb, Sedum, Thistle.
Small Heath Thyme
Small Skipper Buddleia, Cheiranthus, Cornflower, Knapweed, Lavender, Lobelia, Marguerite, Salvia, Scabious, Toadflax, Tufted Vetch, Valerian.
Small Tortoiseshell




African Marigold, Alyssum, Asclepsis, Aster amellus, A. sinensis, Bramble, Buddleia, B. globosa, Candytuft, Ceratostigma willmottiae, Cheiranthus, Cineraria maritima, Coltsfoot, Cornflower, Corn Marigold, Dahlia, Dandelion, Dianthus, Echinacea purpurea, Echium, Escallonia, Chrysanthemum maximum "Ester Reed", French Marigold, Gazania, Hebe, Inula, Lantana, Ligularia dentata, Limonium, Marigold, Michaelmas Daisy, Nepeta, Phlox drummondii, Privet, Sallow, Sedum, Thyme, Thistle, Serphyllum coccineus, Valerian, Virginia creeper, Wallflower (perennial), Water Mint.
Small White


Alyssum, Aubretia, Bramble, Buddleia, Calliopsis, Campanula lactiflora, Ceratostigma willmottiae, Chrysanthemum, Echium, Godetia, Hebe, Heliotrope, Ivy, Lantana, Lavender, Limonium, Lobelia, Marigold, Mignonette, Nepeta, Poppy, Radish, Sweet Rocket, Thistle, Valerian, Verbena bonariensis, Virginian stock.
Speckled Wood Bramble, Marigold.
Wall Brown Forget-me-not, French Marigold, Inula, Heliotrope, Lavender, Marigold, Nepeta, Privet, Rosebay Willow herb, Sedum, Valerian.