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Gardening for Butterflies |
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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
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African Marigold |
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Tagetes erecta |
| Alyssum |
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Alyssum sp. |
| Aster |
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Aster sp. |
| Aubretia |
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Aubretia deltoides |
| Bramble (Blackberry) |
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Rubus fruticosus |
Buddleia |
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Buddleia sp. |
| Candytuft |
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Iberis amara |
| Catmint |
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Nepeta sp. |
| Clover |
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Trifolium repens |
| Common Fleabane |
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Pulicaria dysenterica |
| Coreopsis |
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Coreopsis tinctoria |
| Cornflower |
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Centaurea cyanus |
| Cranesbill |
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Geranium sp. |
| Dahlia |
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Dahlia sp. |
| Daisy |
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Bellis perennis |
| Field Scabious |
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Knautia arvensis |
| Forget-me-not |
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Myosotis sp. |
| French Marigold |
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Tagetes patula |
| Globe Thistle |
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Echinops sp. |
| Golden Rod |
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Solidago sp. |
| Heather |
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Erica sp. |
| Hebe |
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Hebe sp. |
| Hemp Agrimony |
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Eupatorium cannabinum |
| Ice Plant |
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Sedum spectabile |
| Knapweed |
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Centaurea sp. |
| Lavender |
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Lavandula angustifolia |
| Lobelia |
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Lobelia sp. |
| Lychnis |
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Lychnis coronaria |
| Marjoram |
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Origanum vulgaris |
| Michaelmas Daisy |
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Aster novi-belgii |
| Mint |
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Mentha sp. |
| Pansy |
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Viola sp. |
| Phlox |
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Phlox sp. |
| Privet |
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Ligustrum sp. |
| Purple Loosestrife |
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Lythrum salicaria |
| Ragwort |
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Senecio sp. |
| Red Valerian |
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Centranthus ruber |
| Rock Rose |
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Helianthemum sp. |
| Shrubby Cinquefoil |
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Potentilla fruticosa |
| Sneezewort |
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Achillea sp. |
| Sweet William |
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Dianthus barbatus |
| Thyme |
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Thymus sp. |
| Verbena |
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Verbena sp. |
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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.
| 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 |
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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
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African Marigold, Asclepsis, Aubretia, Beans, Dandelion, Dianthus, Lavender, Nepeta, Phlox drummondii, P. paniculata, Primrose, Primula denticulata, Teasel, Thistle, Valerian. |
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| Comma |
Beetroot, Bramble, Buddleia, Helenium, Ivy, Plum, Privet, Pear, Scabious, Sedum, Thistle, Valerian. |
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Common Blue
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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. |
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Gatekeeper
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Aster sinensis, Bramble, Buddleia, Candytuft, Chrysanthemums, Corn Marigold, Cornus variegata, Hebe, Helichrysum, Heliotrope, Marguerite, Marjoram, Mayweed, Mignonette, Mint, Nepeta, Thistle, Thyme, Valerian, Yarrow. |
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| Green-veined White |
Aubretia, Aquilegia alpina, Buddleia, Forget-me-not, Heliotrope, Honesty, Lavender, Michaelmas Daisy, Nepeta, Strawberry. |
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| Holly Blue |
Forget-me-not, Holly, Ivy, Prunus. |
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| Large Skipper |
Feverfew, Valerian. |
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Large White
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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. |
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| Marbled White |
Buddleia, Campanula lactiflora, Candytuft, Delphinium, Erigeron, Nepeta, Thistle. |
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Meadow Brown
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African Marigold, Bramble, Buddleia, Campanula lactiflora, Chrysanthemum maximum "Esther Reed", Heliotrope, Inula, Lavender, Marjoram, Nepeta, Phlox spp., Privet, Thistle, Thyme, Valerian. |
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Orange-tip
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Aubretia, Cheiranthus, Forget-me-not, Garlic Mustard, Honesty, Lady's
Smock, Sweet Rocket. |
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| Painted Lady |
Buddleia, Sedum. |
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Peacock
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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. |
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| Red Admiral |
Buddleia, Dahlia, Fuschia, Hebe, Hydrangea, Ivy, Michaelmas Daisy, Plum, Apple, Pear, Sedum, Yarrow. |
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| Ringlet |
Bramble, Dianthus, Nepeta, Salvia. |
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| Small Copper |
Daisy, Helichrysum, Inula, Knapweed, Lavender, Michaelmas Daisy, Phlox paniculata, Privet, Rosebay Willowherb, Sedum, Thistle. |
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| Small Heath |
Thyme |
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| Small Skipper |
Buddleia, Cheiranthus, Cornflower, Knapweed, Lavender, Lobelia, Marguerite, Salvia, Scabious, Toadflax, Tufted Vetch, Valerian. |
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Small Tortoiseshell
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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. |
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Small White
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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. |
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| Speckled Wood |
Bramble, Marigold. |
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| Wall Brown |
Forget-me-not, French Marigold, Inula, Heliotrope, Lavender, Marigold, Nepeta, Privet, Rosebay Willow herb, Sedum, Valerian. |
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Butterfly Conservation WarwickshirePrivacy and Copyright Statement
Butterfly Conservation is a non-profit-making company limited by guarantee, registered in England (2206468)
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Web site designed and maintained by Steven Cheshire |
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