10 plants for butterflies
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Published: Saturday, 4 September 2021 at 7:14 am
Discover 10 plants that will set your garden a-flutter with butterflies.
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Around 10 species of butterfly are likely to visit gardens, including the colourful small tortoiseshell, peacock and red admiral. Sadly, numbers of many butterflies are declining. According to a Butterfly Conservation report published in 2015, The State of Britain's Butterflies, three quarters of UK butterflies have shown a 10-year decrease in either their distribution or population levels. To help Butterfly Conservation monitor butterfly populations take part in the Big Butterfly Count this summer.
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Do your bit for butterflies by making them welcome in your garden. Adults feed on nectar, and can be seen nectaring on flat, daisy-like blooms as well as plants with long, tubular flowers. The more of these you can grow in your garden, the better.
Butterfly caterpillars feed on leaves and flower buds of so-called 'caterpillar food plants'. Caterpillars of some of the most colourful butterflies feed on nettles. The brimstone feeds on common buckthorn and alder buckthorn. Discover more caterpillar food plants.
Related content:
- Best shrubs for butterflies
- Plants for late summer nectar
- Create a mini wildflower meadow
Discover 10 plants that butterflies will love, below.
Buddleia
Red admiral butterfly on buddleia flower
One of the best-known nectar flowers for adult butterflies, Buddleja davidii produces blooms over a number of weeks between summer and autumn. Grow a few varieties to extend the flowering season.
Red valerian
Red valerian flower
Red valerian, Centranthus ruber, performs best in poorer, dry or chalky soils, where it forms a tidy, compact plant and won't be overwhelmed by other, stronger plants. It often flowers early and continues well into midsummer.
Verbena bonariensis
Painted lady butterfly on Verbena bonariensis flower
Tall, with lots of purple flowers on stiff, wiry stems, Verbena bonariensis can be grown through other plants or in a border on its own. It flowers late in the season and is extremely rich in nectar.
Sedum
Ice plant flowers
Always go for the old-fashioned pink form of Hylotelephium spectabile, which produces the most nectar when it flowers in autumn. Red varieties tend to be poor in comparison.
Hebe
Hebe flower
As well as being a reliable evergreen shrub, hebes attracts a range of insects, in particular bees and butterflies.
Wild marjoram
Gatekeeper butterfly on oregano flower
Outdoors, Origanum vulgare is best grown as an annual, as it isn't reliably hardy in the UK. The delicate, pink flowers are a treat for butterflies, as well as bees. Plus, the leaves make a delicious addition to dishes.
Common knapweed
Clouded yellow butterfly on common knapweed flower
If you've created an area for wildflowers in your garden, then Centaurea nigra is a must-have. The bright, violet flowers will attract a range of butterflies, including the common blue and meadow brown.
Hemp-agrimony
Small tortoiseshell butterfly on hemp agrimony flower
Tough and dependable, Eupatorium cannabinum are statuesque plants that enjoy growing in damp areas including riverbanks and wet grasslands or woodlands. The icy-pink flowers will attract red admirals and commas, among others.
Field scabious
Small tortoiseshell butterfly on scabious flower
Like knapweed, field scabious (Knautia arvensis) is another plant that will pack meadows with colour. There are plenty of similar flowers to try too, including the small scabious and knautia, all of which are popular with butterflies.
Erysimum 'Bowles's Mauve'
Erysimum 'Bowless Mauve' flower
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If regularly deadheaded, 'Bowles's Mauve' can be relied upon to flower from spring and into autumn, providing nectar for butterflies both early and late in the year.
Kate Bradbury says
Don’t forget food for their caterpillars. Nettles, hops, lady’s smock, holly, ivy and meadow grasses provide food for the caterpillars of a wide range of butterfly species.
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