| It is as well to understand how and when a butterfly
feeds before deciding upon which plants to use to attract Butterflies
into your garden. Shrubs and perennials each have an important part to
play in attracting Butterflies. best ones have small trumpet or tubular
flowers.
Most butterflies and moths have a long tongue - or proboscis - through
which they can suck up the nectar from deep inside the flowers of
certain plants. They do not feed on the readily available pollen, but
push their tongue past the pollen and into the depths of the flower,
wherein lies reservoirs of life giving nectar, which is not available to
many other types of insects. Most suitable flowers for Butterflies to
feed on, are made up of many small tubular shaped flowers combining to
make a large flower head.
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Once you are armed with this simple bit of
information, it becomes easy to select the best plants which will allow
butterflies to access this nectar. You can then attract
Butterflies to your garden. Bees have a similar feeding habit,
so they will also be encouraged. |
In the
UK, most butterflies do not normally appear until early summer - June. A
few are in evidence before then, so maybe also plants such as Bergenia
for the early Butterflies.
A great plant for attracting butterflies to your
garden - verbena bonariensis, a perennial which will also seed
itself everywhere, and flower from seed in first year. A welcome
feast for the comma Butterfly. |
Best known shrub for attracting Butterflies is
the Butterfly Bush -Buddleia (Buddleja) davidii types. here seen
with magnificent specimen of a Peacock Butterfly. |
Tortoiseshell butterfly on Bracteantha - the everlasting
flower. Here the butterfly's tongue -proboscis- can be seen reaching down into the
flower's reservoir of nectar. This long tongue, makes it possible for
the butterfly to reach into the trumpet-like individual florets of
Buddleias, Verbenas, Hebes, Sedums and other similarly constructed
flowers.
The following is a short list - but more
than ten - of our best plants for attracting butterflies into your
garden.
Best shrubs
Buddleia, Escallonia, Syringa - Lilac, Berberis,
Kolkwitzia, Lavender, Rosemary. All of these have tubular or
trumpet-like individual flowers.
Best Perennials
Verbena, Aster - Michaelmas
daisy, Cowslip, Echinops ritro -the Globe Thistle, Hyssop, Marjoram,
Origanum, Sage, Agastache, Most daisy-type flowers, Kniphofia - Red Hot Poker,
Sedum - light coloured varieties
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