Gardening for Butterflies - Herts & Middx Butterfly Conservation

Gardening for butterflies

Grow your own....

Gardens can act as important stepping stones between nature reserves and other natural habitat by offering abundant supplies of nectar and foodplants. There can be few pleasures in life greater than seeing butterflies attracted by plants grown from seeds you have planted yourself. Butterflies can be quite choosy about the plants they visit and tend to prefer traditional garden plants and native wildflowers. These are often hard to find in shops or garden catalogues, where seeds with familiar names may be modern hybrids, bred for appearance. This often means large showy blooms, which may be of little or no use as nectar sources. Even wildflower mixes can be unsuitable, sometimes containing a variety of species which will not thrive together or foreign species not used by local butterflies.

Butterfly Conservation encourages everyone to Garden for Butterflies! Their website has a dedicated section to help you plan and design your own garden with lots of information and tips. Follow this link » » 

Additional information about creating wildlife areas in your own locality can be found here http://www.floralocale.org/ » » 

The top five nectar plants Butterfly Conservation recommends are: Buddleia, Verbena bonariensis, the Perennial Wallflower (Bowles Mauve), Lavender and Marjoram (Oregano). Do your bit for butterflies by planting these plants!

The top 99 best butterfly nectar plants in order of attraction listed in 'Gardening for Butterflies'

This list is published with the kind permission of Dr. Margaret Vickery, author of 'Gardening for Butterflies'.

1. Buddliea 26. Verbena 51. Hyssop 76. Onions
2. Ice plant 27. Alyssum 52. Rock Rose 77. Virginia stocks
3. Lavender 28. Common Fleabane 53. Honeysuckle 78. Petunia
4. Michaelmas daisy 29. Dandelion 54. Daisy 79. Busy Lizzie
5. Marjoram 30. Dahlia 55. Teasel 80. Coreopsis
6. Red valerian 31. Wallflower 56. Sneezewort 81. Bluebell
7. Aubretia 32. Bowles mauve wallflower 57. Chrysanthemum (single) 82. Yarrow
8. Field Scabious 33. Ivy 58. Cosmos, Cosmea 83. Birds-foot- trefoil
9. Scabious 34. Heather 59. Osteospermum 84. Everlasting pea
10. Bramble 35. Shrubby cinquefoil 60. Clover 85. Cuckoo flower
11. French Marigold 36. Ragwort 61. Globe thistle 86. Feverfew
12. Hebe 37. Cranesbill 62. Marguerite 87. Inula
13. Candytuft 38. Primrose 63. Pot marigold 88. Pinks
14. Lobelia 39. Tree mallow 64. Escallonia 89. Sneezeweed (Helenium)
15. Honesty 40. Chives 65. Everlasting flower 90. Floss flower (Ageratum)
16. Mint 41. Thyme 66. Lilac 91. Corn marigold
17. Hemp Agrimony 42. Catmint 67. Cornflower 92. Sea holly
18. Phlox 43. African marigold 68. Hyacinth 93. Grape hyacinth
19. Forget-me-knot 44. Pansy 69. Lychnis coronaria 94. Cotoneaster
20. Aster 45. Black eyed Susan 70. Red campion 95. Buttercup
21. Sweet rocket 46. Hydrangea 71. Nasturtium 96. Viola
22. Runner bean 47. Golden rod 72. Ceratostigma 97. Ceanothus
23. Knapweed 48. Ox-eye daisy 73. Statice 98. Muskmallow
24. Privet 49. Sweet William 74. Cone flower 99. Heliotrope
25. Purple loosestrife 50. Shasta Daisy 75. Senecio