life
COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
Small Tortoiseshell butterfly
by David Purslow
Butterflies in
your borders
How to attract these beautiful creatures into your garden
Research has indicated that private
gardens in Britain cover an area bigger
than all of the country’s nature reserves
combined – estimated at over 10 million
acres.
Individual gardens may be small
but they create important green links
between urban nature reserves and the
wider countryside, forming vital wildlife
corridors.
Making your garden wildlife friendly will
help to ensure that the plants and animals
that we value today will still be there for
future generations to enjoy.
Butterfly border
Butterflies are among our most attractive
and visible wild creatures but many people
have commented that we see fewer of them
in our gardens.
They are becoming rarer for two main
reasons, primarily the loss of habitat
(meadows, hedgerows and woodlands)
and urban and industrial development,
but also because of the increased use of
pesticides and herbicides. Your garden
could play a small but significant role in
helping to reverse these trends.
Most butterflies are very mobile so they
will find their way into a garden, if there
is something there to attract them. They
are on the wing from March to October,
so growing suitable flowers during spring,
summer and autumn will provide them
with a vital food source, while you enjoy
your colourful garden.
Planning your border
When planning an area you need to ensure
that there is enough of each flower to
make a visible display and to give off
enough scent to attract butterflies.
Warmth and shelter is important too, so
ensure that you place your plants out of
the wind – in a sun trap if possible.
Try to avoid the varieties of plants with
double blossoms, research has found that
they prove too difficult for the butterflies
to feed from. They also produce less scent
and nectar - the main energy source for
butterflies.
Food plants for caterpillars should be
included to support the butterfly during
the phases of its life cycle. For example,
white butterflies fee d on the cabbage
family, both wild and horticultural forms.
However, please make a commitment to
not use insecticidal sprays in your garden
– if you have an abundance of greenfly
and blackfly, use a spray with washing up
liquid which will control the aphids but be
careful not to spray other wildlife, such as
ladybirds.
Plants for your wildlife border:
Summer flowerers: Catmint, Cornflower,
Heliotrope, Knapweed, Lavender,
Marjoram, Thyme, Tobacco plant,
Valerian.
Buddleia: The famous “butterfly bush”
from China which has established itself
Small Blue by Ian Ralphs
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www.wightfrog.com/islandlife