Growing butterfly and moth food-plants

There is a lot of interest in butterfly gardening, but some people still say that growing the required food-plants won’t bring butterflies into your garden if there is no colony nearby, as many British species can’t fly more than about five miles from where they emerge. However, we know butterflies in the wider countryside are under-recorded so you never know what species might be just hanging on in a habitat near your land that could use your garden as a 'fueling station’ to help them get on to another habitat. If we all grew a few clumps of suitable food-plants, who knows what butterflies may take advantage of the wildlife corridors we could create? . (photos Valerie Bains) The  Butterfly Garden designed by Valerie Baines at Juniper Hall Field Studies Centre in Surrey, planted and maintained by the Surrey Branch of Butterfly Conservation. A useful exercise, suggested by Chris Baines in his “Make a Wildlife Garden”, is to draw a habitat map of your locality, recording what species of trees, what kind of fields, what wild plants are to be found in nearby hedgerows and waste ground. This can help you build up a picture of what species of butterflies and moths (and also birds and other wildlife) you could expect in your area. Then you can grow plants in your garden that will attract these species, both nectar plants for adults and caterpillar food plants for the larvae so that they may even breed in your garden. There are some excellent books available from Butterfly Conservation which discuss details like which species prefer which plant (see list at end) but Margaret Vickery in her “Gardening for Butterflies” (that has been compiled out of 10 years’ recording of garden butterflies by BC members) lists the top ten nectar plants for adult butterflies as; Buddleia (especially Weyeriana type ), Ice Plant (Sedum spectabile), Lavender (especially “Munstead”), Michaelmas Daisy, Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), Aubretia, Red Valerian, French Marigolds, Hebe (especially Great Orme’and Midsummer Beauty’), and Candytuft. I find two or three on this list surprising; in my garden I wouldn’t rate the Aubretia, Lavender, or Valerian very highly, but I would say that Hemp Agrimony is as good as Buddleia - especially the large purple cultivated kind attracting as many butterflies as a clump of the wild plant growing nearby. It would be very interesting to hear your observations of the most popular plants in your own garden. Basic rules There seem to be a few rules of thumb - 1. Butterflies have poor sight, so are attracted to large clumps of the same flower. 2. They seem to prefer purples, deep pinks and sometimes yellow and white. 3. They need to feed in warm, sunny places, sheltered from the wind. 4. The individual flowers should be single; doubles and other fancy cultivars are often ignored. 5. The plants need to be well-watered in times of drought so that enough runny nectar is produced, and, of course, there can’t be any spraying of insecticides! For many moths the main requirement is that the flowers open and are scented at night (obviously they have evolved to be pollinated by moths). There are relatively few of these, but good ones for the garden are; Bladder Campion, Nottingham Catchfly, Evening Primrose (Oenothera spp.), Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymen), Night-scented Stocks, Petunias, Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), Tobacco Plant (especially pale coloured varieties), and White Jasmine. Butterflies and moths share many of the same larval foodplant species, although many moths also rely on our native trees; especially oak, beech, willows, sallows and aspens as well as buckthorn and hawthorn in the hedges. Some moth caterpillars also feed on dead leaves and lichen. Butterfly families larval foodplants   Bird's foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)                                                                                                   - a plant that every butterfly  garden should have. Butterflies within the same Family tend to like one particular larval food-plant; The Browns and The Skippers like various native grasses (NOT Italian Rye Grass!), The Vanessids - Stinging Nettles, The Whites cruciferae (Cabbage family, including including Honesty, Lady's Smock or Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis) and Garlic Mustard for Orange Tips), The Yellows Purging and Alder Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus & Frangula alnus for the Brimstone), The Lycaenidae the only group that have more individual preferences; Bird’s foot trefoil (many blues and moths), Holly and Ivy for the Holly Blue (it needs both), Sorrel or Dock for the Small Copper, Elm for the White Letter Hairstreak. (This butterfly is said to be surviving on Wych Elm since Dutch Elm disease hit) The Hawkmoths like various epilobium species, including Rose Bay Willowherb for the Elephant Hawkmoth. Salvia neurepia, a half-hardy shrub, was reported to be a great attraction for Hummingbird Hawkmoths in the summer of 2003. With the exception of a big enough patch of nettles, all these plants could be happily incorporated into todays’garden. Research reported in BC News (1991/92) concluded that to attract egg-laying, a nettle patch had to be at least 6 feet x 6 feet, should be in full sun most of the day and not have overhanging branches (on which birds can perch), though be sheltered from strong winds.Several people report caterpillars on much smaller patches of nettles (even some in containers!) in their gardens if the other conditions are met. Perhaps the Councils who are thoughtfully planting our road verges with wild flowers should be encouraged to allow nettles too. To plan a garden for Lepidoptera you could have around the edge a mixed hedge of native trees, as well as large Hebes, Privet (the golden one, allowed to flower, provides wonderful scent as well as winter-hardy golden foliage), Buddleias whose flowering season may be extended by growing different varieties like globosa’ for early, weyeriana’for July to November and 'Beijing’ for late flowering. Buddleias can also be fooled into flowering later by cutting them back hard later than the usually recommended March. You could have the lovely Golden Hop and Honeysuckle twining through your hedge (avoid many of the cultivated types of Honeysuckle they have no scent. It is best to stick to the wild species which is so gorgeous anyway) You also really need Ivy in the hedge to provide some of the only available nectar late and early in the year. It also is invaluable for hibernating adults. The Herbaceous border could have drifts of all the medium to large plants mentioned, with Bird’s foot trefoil being ideal as an edging plant as it doesn’t like being overshadowed. Honesty makes lovely purple clumps very early in the year and attracts the early butterflies - some can be pulled out after flowering to make room for summer flowers, but leave enough for a show of silver penny’ pods. Tall, architectural plants for the back of a border can include Teasel (and you’ll get Goldfinches coming for the seed in Autumn) as well as some of the spectacular thistles like the Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans) The Rockery or walls could have all the little dry, low-growing, limestone-loving plants like aubretia, rockrose, thymes, alysum, candytuft, restharrow and Dog violets. The last couple of years I have been experimenting with a “Morraine Garden” a fancy name for a heap of builder’s rubble and lumps of limestone left over from building a new extension, covered with limestone chippings and a very thin layer of soil. This has been stunningly successful in attracting butterflies, who seem to be attracted to the white limestone to bask in the sun. I have planted many different cultivated varieties of plants that like this kind of habitat thymes, scabious, centaureas, marjorams, etc., next to the wild forms, and have been keeping records of whichbutterflies prefer which varieties watch this space for the results! Scabious Caucasica "Perfecta  Blue" attracting Small Tortoiseshells next to wild Knapweed and Cranesbill in my Limestone 'Morraine Garden' last summer. (photo Jan Miller)   The pond or bog-garden could have water mint, Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis), Devil’s bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium spp.) and Purple Loosestrife. And the lawn, part allowed to grow longer for most of the summer, could include Knapweed, Scabious, clover, cranesbill, Dame’s Violet, Black Meddick, crucifers and wild grasses. Lastly, don’t forget the vegetable Patch and fruit trees. We have to get used to the idea of being happy to see caterpillars on our cabbages! Well, some could be transferred to the wild crucifers you’re growing in other parts of the garden now. Why not leave a few apples rotting under the friut tree in autumn, this will delight many late adult butterflies. I sell most of these plants, and others mentioned in the books, from my garden - click here to see plantlist; all profits go to the North Wales Branch. I also sell these plants at the Bodelwyddan Garden Festival at the end of May, and at some other local shows each year, in order to attract new members and raise funds for the local branch. I would be very grateful to anyone who would like to come and help us at these shows, and/or to contribute plants. I would also love to hear other peoples’experiences of growing plants specifically for butterflies and moths. Jan Miller (  info@northwalesbutterflies.org.uk ) Resources ; Books; Gardening for Butterflies, M.Vickery, Butterfly Conservation Saving Butterflies, ed. D. Dunbar, Butterfly Conservation. Creating and Maintaining a Garden to attract Butterflies, J.Killingbeck (available from John Chambers Ltd.) The Ecology of a Garden, J. Owen (more scholarly, extensive moth foodplants.) How to make a Wildlife Garden, C.Baines Colour Identification Guide to Moths of British Isles, B. Skinner   Seed Catalogues; John Chambers wildflower seeds,15 Westleigh Rd.,Barton Seagrave, Kettering, Northants NN15 5AJ Tel; 01933 652562            Landlife, Liverpool Wildflower Centre, The Old Police Station, Lark Lane, Liverpool L178UU. Tel; 0151 728 7011 Plants; Jan Miller, Saith Ffynnon Farm, Whitford, Holywell CH8 9EQ, Flintshire. Tel; 01352 711198 e-mail; info@northwalesbutterflies.org.uk Many butterfly nectar and larval foodplants (local provenance) available, plus butterfly garden design service; profits go to the North Wales Branch of Butterfly Conservation. For list of plants generally available see “Plant List” on the gardening page of this website. (www.northwalesbutterflies.org.uk)   Lectures on Gardening for Butterflies also available from Jan Miller. F.Morrey & Son, Forest Nursery, Kelsall, Tarporley Cheshire CW6 OSW  Telephone 01829 751342  (native trees)