butterfly food plants

 

Keeping butterflies around.

If you want to enable butterflies to live in your garden you will need to have food for their caterpillars. Leaving an area to nature will enable them to arrive. To nudge nature along you should add some seeds and plants that garden butterflies need to survive.

All of these butterflies will lay there eggs on stinging nettles. Nettles in a sunny corner would be perfect for attracting them to breed and lay eggs. 

From the top: Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma underside, Comma with wings open and lastly the Painted Lady

Orange Tip Butterflies on its caterpillar food plant, Jack-by-the-hedge in the garden

Holly Blue Butterflies need Holly, Cinnabar moths need Ragwort and for the Brimstone it is Buckthorn

For those shown below its the grasses, Meadow, Cock's-foot, Yorkshire Fog, Red Fescue, Creeping Soft, Downy Oat and Creeping Soft-grass

From top: Small Skipper, Marbled White, Gate Keeper, Ringlet, Large Skipper, Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Common Blue and Meadow Brown