Make a butterfly garden

A butterfly gracefully flitting from flower to flower is just one of the summer sights many of us take for granted.

But butterflies and moths have been falling in numbers for decades, and it requires a conscious effort to ensure that the decline is halted. Five of our 59 resident species have already been made extinct, with half of the remaining species severely under threat.

Butterfly Conservation is an organisation aiming to secure a lasting future for our native butterflies and moths, educating and encouraging the public to get involved in conservation.

Creating a butterfly-friendly garden is one of the simplest ways in which you can make a difference. The tips below will not only help you attract butterflies, but also give them somewhere to thrive and breed – helping to fight the decline in their number.

Feed the butterflies

The nectar from flowers provides the adult insect with a source of food, so, as a general rule, the more nectar plants you have in your garden the more varieties of butterfly and moth will eventually find you.

Butterflies also like warmth, so plant the flowers in sunny areas of the garden and keep them watered. Healthy, well-watered plants will produce far more nectar.

Try to plant so that there will be flowers available throughout the butterfly season, which runs roughly between the months of March and November.

Look after caterpillars

Provide some food and shelter for the caterpillars in your garden and you can give a real boost to butterfly population.

The caterpillars of some butterfly species’ eat common native grasses, but only when they are left to grow tall, so you may want to consider leaving some areas of the garden a little overgrown.

Similarly, by leaving grasses long during the winter, you’ll be providing valuable shelter for the caterpillars and butterfly pupae who like to winter in dense vegetation.

For more hints and tips on creating ‘wild areas’, read our wildlife garden feature.

Don’t use pesticides

Insecticides and other pesticides won’t only kill garden pests, they will kill butterflies too - as well as other insects that make a positive contribution to your garden.

Peat is something else to avoid if possible. Peat bogs are home to the large heath butterfly, and its habitat is being destroyed in order to provide peat for garden compost. Numbers of this species are already declining – and will do so further if demand for peat stays high.

www.butterfly-conservation.org