Gardening for Butterflies and Moths

Many of us try to attract butterflies by planting nectar sources, like buddleia, in our gardens. Planting flowers raises an expectation which often leads to the question, "Why don't I see many butterflies?". There are several reasons, but the most important is that nectar sources simply retain butterflies which would otherwise fly straight through your garden. Nectar sources alone do not increase the numbers of butterflies.
 
Unlike bees that really benefit from extra nectar sources (as all the stages of their life cycle feed on nectar), butterflies only feed on nectar in the adult stage. Every adult butterfly has spent weeks as a caterpillar, eating leaves. Unless the plants that caterpillars need are growing in or near your garden, you will not see the adults.
 
Some planting suggestions for various areas of the garden are listed below; click the appropriate boxed link to view them.
 
More information about gardening for butterflies and moths can be found on the Butterfly Conservation web site.
 
Finally, don't forget to submit your garden records, either during or at the end of the season.		  
Peacock on blackthorn flowers, which provide an excellent nectar supply early in the year. Blackthorn is the foodplant of several species of garden moth such as the Grey Dagger (below).

Long Grass Areas Short Grass Areas Borders and Containers Hedges and woodland edges Large Trees

Plants for long grass areas

Almost every garden has a patch of grass that could feed the larvae of nine butterfly and up to 40 moth species.
The most useful thing is to leave a strip of grass uncut until October. This works best if the strip is wider than 75cm/2.5 ft, in the sun and alongside a hedge or fence (to act as a wind break). There are various plants to grow in both the longer uncut grass and the shorter mown parts of the lawn. A really helpful plant to put in the long grass strip is Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor). Although no butterfly caterpillars eat its leaves (Grass Rivulet moth caterpillars do), Bumblebees love the flowers and, more crucially, it parasitises the grass around it, making the turf less dense, which assists other plants to thrive. Yellow Rattle will not grow out into a lawn, as mowing destroys it. Several of the other plants suggested are invasive and removing their flower heads before the seeds are cast will help control their spread around the garden.

 
Species Frequently used as food plant by Occasionally used as food plant by Season (if nectar source) Image
Bedstraw
(Galium spp.)
  • Common Carpet
  • Hummingbird Hawkmoth
  • Red Twin-spot Carpet
  • Elephant Hawkmoth
  • Flame Shoulder
  • Small Elephant Hawkmoth
Bents grasses
(Agrostis spp.)
  • Gatekeeper
  • Meadow Brown
    Cocksfoot grass
    (Dactylis glomerata)
    • Clouded Bordered Brindle
    • Dark Arches
    • Drinker
    • Essex Skipper
    • Large Skipper
    • Meadow Brown
    • Ringlet
    • Bright-line Brown-eye
    • Common Wainscot
    • Marbled White
    • Small Skipper
    • Speckled Wood
    Common Nettle
    (Urtica dioica)
    • Burnished Brass
    • Comma
    • Garden Tiger
    • Mother of Pearl
    • Nettle?tap
    • Peacock
    • Red Admiral
    • Setaceous Hebrew Character
    • Small Magpie Moth
    • Small Tortoiseshell
    • Snout
    • Angle Shades
    • Flame
    • Painted Lady
    • Silver Y
    • Spectacle
    • White Ermine
    Couch grass
    (Elytrigia repens)
    • Dark Arches
    • Ringlet
    • Rustic Shoulder Knot
    • Speckled Wood
    • Bright-line Brown-eye
    • Essex Skipper
    • Gatekeeper
    • Marbled Minor
    Cuckoo-flower
    (Cardamine pratense)
    • Green-veined White
    • Orange-tip
      		Spring
      Docks and Sorrels
      (Rumex spp.)
      • Blood-vein
      • Ruby Tiger
      • Small Copper
      • White Ermine
      • Angle Shades
      • Rustic
      • Shuttle-shaped Dart
      False Brome grass
      (Brachypodium sylvaticum)
      • Gatekeeper
      • Meadow Brown
      • Speckled Wood
      • Straw Dot
      • Essex Skipper
      • Large Skipper
      • Small Skipper
      Fescue grass
      (Festuca spp.)
      • Meadow Brown
      • Marbled White
      Field Scabious
      (Knautia arvensis)
          		Summer
          Greater Knapweed
          (Centaurea scabiosa)
              		Summer
              Hedge Garlic
              (Alliaria petiolata)
              • Green-veined White
              • Orange-tip
              • Large White
              • Small White
              		 Spring
              Marjoram
              (Origanum majorana)
              • Mint moth
              • Burnished Brass
              		 Summer
              Meadow grasses
              (Poa spp.)
              • Gatekeeper
              • Meadow Brown
              • Ringlet
                Ragwort
                (Jacobaea vulgaris)
                • Ragwort
                  		Summer
                  Thistles
                  (Cirsium, Carduus spp.)
                  • Burnished Brass
                  • Frosted Orange
                  • Painted Lady
                    		Summer
                    Willowherbs
                    (Epilobium spp.)
                    • Elephant Hawkmoth
                    • Setaceous Hebrew Character
                    • Bright-line Brown-eye
                    • Small Elephant Hawkmoth
                    		 Summer
                    Yorkshire Fog grass
                    (Holcus lanatus)
                    • Marbled White
                    • Small Skipper
                    • Speckled Wood