I absolutely adore butterflies; I don’t know whether it’s how hard they are to catch or just the beautiful patterns on their wings, but something about them always makes me smile. Because of the time of year, you won’t see too many around, but with the right steps, you’ll have them fluttering around all summer long.
Why you’ll want them
More than just a pretty face, butterflies will also: pollinate your garden, eat smaller pests and consequently, increase your yield, so there are plenty of reasons to keep them around. To entice them, you’ll need a range of colourful flowers and a plethora of sweet smells. It’s pretty lucky that they’re mainly attracted to the good parts of a garden and won’t really take any special planning (if you’re already planting flowers, you’re a huge step towards an organic butterfly garden).
How to get (and keep) butterflies in your garden
Also, although it might sound obvious, protect those caterpillars! When they’re slinking around and nibbling on my leaves, I tend to forget that one day it will be flying around protecting that very plant it massacred. To avoid them eating your prized plants, you might want to plant out some marigold, chickweed or parsley away from everything else to give them something to munch on while nature takes its course. Keep it in a sunny location as butterflies are cold-blooded and will need the Sun to keep them warm, a few flat stones/tables/etc are a great addition as they allow them to relax while soaking up some rays.
Once you’ve nurtured them out of the larvae phase, they’ll need nectar and water. Thistle, buddleja (butterfly bush) and most fruit trees are an excellent source of the former, while a small container left to collect rainwater will provide them with sufficient liquid sustenance (unless you have low levels of rainwater, in which case you’ll want to top it up regularly with clean, drinking water).
