A well designed and
maintained garden is a joy but what make a garden complete is to
have it full of
bird song and the fluttering of butterflies.
There are 58 butterfly
species in Britain and by carefully planning your garden you may be
lucky enough to see a good number of these in your own garden.
There are some essentials
to ensure that butterflies will stop to take nectar from your
garden, just follow the guidelines below.
Sunshine
You must position your
butterfly
plants in a warm, sheltered, sunny spot in your garden. Spend
some time observing which parts of your garden get the most sunshine
for most of the day. Butterflies will rarely feed in a shady area
but part shade may suffice.
Shelter
As mention above a
sheltered spot is preferable as butterflies do not like to be
buffeted by the wind.
Overnight Roosts
Grow some climbers and
tall shrubs to enable the butterflies to roost overnight well off
the ground. Hanging baskets also work well.
Food for Caterpillars
Most butterflies will
only lay their eggs on specific plants in order to provide the right
food for their caterpillars. Leave a patch of your garden "wild"
with some long grass and nettles. Nettles are very popular with
Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral and Comma butterflies. If
you don't have room in your garden to leave an area "wild" try
planting some nettles in a large pot and hide it away in the shrubs.
The Right Plant for your
Garden
Although there are quite
a number of plants which butterflies love, do remember that the
plant must also be suitable for your soil type and the aspect of
your garden. See our Soil &
Compost page for more information on soil types.
Visit our
Plants for
Butterflies page for a full list of the plants loved by our
British Butterflies and the Butterfly
Year to see which butterflies will visit your garden each month
of the season.
