Butterflies

Butterflies visit gardens to drink nectar from flowers. Butterflies are very active and nectar provides the fuel they need to keep airborne.

Many good nectar plants are hardy perennials like you would find in a cottage border or meadow and easy to grow. Butterflies also like basking on hot stones or gravel to warm up their wings.

Avoid highly-bred cultivars with big and blowsy, double flowers most of which contain little or no pollen or nectar.

Single flowered varieties are better.

Plant a good selection of different nectar plants in sunny spots.

Have a look at our plant list for pollinators to get ideas for your garden.

Have flowers available from early spring to late autumn.

Early flowers are great for butterflies coming out of hibernation, while in late summer and autumn they need to build up their reserves in preparation for winter.

Provide winter homes such as hedges, ivy or other evergreen climbers on fences or walls for butterflies to hibernate in.

White, browns and blues over-winter as chrysalis.

Painted lady and red admiral usually migrate to Europe.

Brimstone, peacock and small tortoiseshell hibernate in shrubs and buildings as adults.

Winter heathers, mahonia, crocus, snow drops, witch hazel, Viburnum tinus, sweet box

Aubretia, alyssum, Bowles’ mauve perennial wallflower, blackthorn, bluebell, blackberry, bugle, clover, comfrey, native cowslip, crocus, cuckoo flower, dandelion, dicentra, field scabious, forget-me-not, flowering currant, heathers, honesty, lungwort, ox-eye daisy, native primrose, goat and grey willow, sweet rocket, violets, wallflower

Allium, aster (Novi-angliae cultivars and Aster amellus and its cultivars; these two species are not invasive), aquilegia, borage, bugloss, california lilac, campanula, catmint, chives, corn flower, globe thistle, hardy geraniums (cranesbills), escallonia, evening primrose, foxglove, heathers, hebe, honeysuckle, Jacob’s ladder, lamb’s ear, lavender, lobelia, lupins, marjoram, marigolds, mint, nasturtium, Phacelia tanacetifolia, phlox, poppy, rock-rose, rosemary, sage, scabious, salvia species, sea holly, sweet william, sunflower, thyme, verbena, viburnum, viper’s bugloss, yarrow

catmint, cone flower, cosmos, hemp agrimony, fleabane, heathers, ivy, knapweed, lucerne, michaelmas daisy, Sedum spectabile ‘Ice Plant’, St John’s wort, teasel, thistles

Bird’s foot trefoil – common blue,

Buckthorn or alder buckthorn - brimstone,  

Common or sheep sorrel - small copper, 

Cuckoo flower, garlic mustard, honesty and Sweet rocket - orange tip, green-veined white,

Holly and ivy – holly blue,  

Hops – comma,

Nasturtium – large and small white,

Native grasses; bents, cock’s foot, meadow grass, fescues, Yorkshire fog, Timothy grass, false brome- Meadow brown, gatekeeper, wall, ringlet, small skipper, speckled wood

Stinging nettle - small tortoiseshell, peacock, comma, red admiral,

Thistles and nettles- painted lady