NECTAR PLANTS

A habitat, or indeed a garden, will offer whatever choice of nectar it has for butterflies, therefore for example if a woodland glade only has teasels as it’s nectar source, the butterflies will go mad for them. Elsewhere, with more favoured plants competing, teasels may not be utilised as much. So it depends what there is available. Our garden specialises in nectar rich plants, wild and cultivated, so the butterflies find themselves in a honey pot. Nevertheless, they do have favourites and make specific choices depending on the butterfly species. Some plants, like buddleia, are heavily favoured by most - but even that is not the favourite of all species. These pages are a cornucopia of pictures of the most prolific and well used nectar planets we offer.

Buddleia.

Universally regarded as the ‘butterfly bush’, this majestic plant is like a butterfly pub. All forms of buddleia are attractive to butterflies, it is just that the more familiar species b. davidii flowers at the time of year when there are the most butterflies on the wing, including the ones that absolutely dote on it’s nectar: the Aristocrats, Whites and Yellows, and Browns in the main, although all butterflies will have a tipple at times. It is the sheer number of the magnificent Aristocrats that can be seen on one bush that gains this plant it’s recognition even to the casual observer: together the two make an unforgettable sight. The masses of rich nectar that these enormous plumes produce are absolute heaven for the insatiable thirst that is needed to fuel Brimstones and Aristocrats to build up reserves for their winter hibernation, and migrants for their continuing journeys. On certain larger bushes in our garden we have counted triple figures of Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Painted Ladies at any one time.

b. globosa flowers earlier, in May/June - Red Admiral on globosa
Buddleia alternifolia - a true weeping early flowering variety, seen here growing adjacent to another classic: wild privet.
Royal red
White and blue b. davidii with weyerana in the background.
Weyerana ‘golden glow’ – a cross between davidii and globosa that keeps flowering well after davidii, right into the winter. Note davidii black knight to the left.
Empire blue and pink delight
Dartmoor – classic arching branches
A regal mix

Marjoram

Undoubtedly the best wild flower for nectar. Where this plant scores above buddleia is that it attracts ALL butterflies, and the ones that buddleia does not register strongly with, e.g. Common Blue, Small Copper, Skippers, are in heaven with marjoram.

Verbena bonariensis.

Although allegedly not fully hardy (we still await a truly hard winter) it self seeds vigorously, cropping up in out of the way places where it can truly inspire us with it tall imposing spikes. When grown together en mass, these spikes give a sort of ‘see through’ effect, being spindly yet robust. Butterflies of all sorts adore this plant.

Hamp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)

It was in fact the White-letter Hairstreak that first put me on to the merits of this amazing bush-like plant back in the early 80s when I came across a strong colony of the butterfly feasting on clump after clump of these giant herbaceous perennials in an elm woodland . Since then I have found that most butterflies give this unusual plant a high priority on their nectaring choices. It thrives in sun, shade, damp, or dry conditions but is most definitely at it’s best when in semi-shade and/or moist soil, where the beautiful pink colour of the flowers lasts longer. This clump is planted under an elm tree to hopefully temp down any Hairstreaks that are up there!

Field scabious (and cultivars)

It seems that any scabious, no matter what colour it is, providing the flowers are not double, will greatly attract butterflies, but as is always the case, the true wild forms are the best. Skippers are the most regular visitors to scabious flowers, but as usual, all species find it amongst the best. Here is an Essex Skipper and Green-veined White.

Devil’s-bit scabious

the best of the late flowering wild flowers.

Ice plant (Sedum spectabile)

The regularly available form of this autumn flowering sedum is Autumn Joy: this is nowhere near as good as the true ice plant which has pure pink flowers, as opposed to crimson/maroon. Alas, this true from is harder to find. Look out for one sold under the name ‘brilliant’ - this is an excellent variety. Ice plants do attract good numbers of butterflies but the range is limited, notwithstanding it’s late flowering time when fewer species are still around.

Dame’s-violet

Some people may still remember this plant under it's old name of Sweet Rocket. It is a v.i.p. – very important plant - as the Green-veined White and Orange Tip regularly use it as a larval foodplant as well as it being an early major nectar source.

Larval Foodplants

Actually more important than the nectar plants, for it is these plants, correctly positioned and maintained, that allow the continuation of the species as residents on site - our garden is their habitat.

NETTLES Urtica dioica

feeds: Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma.

Many would-be wildlife gardeners are put off from growing nettles in their gardens because of the nuisance aspect of this invasive plant that is certainly hard to control and almost impossible to get rid of. And when you consider that the most flamboyant of the butterflies are the ones that use nettles as larval foodplants, it must dismay these people even more. But there is a myth surrounding this subject which I shall now explode: you DO NOT have to grow nettles in your garden to keep these butterflies with you, because they are highly mobile (see BUTTERFLY MOBILITY on How It Is Achieved page) and will utilise nettles growing wild in the neighbouring countryside or wasteland, and still visit your garden for nectar. Only if you really want to see the caterpillars on your own land and the butterflies’ courtship antics do you need your own patches, and even then it may be possible to keep the nettles away from the main garden. In our case, we utilise the ones growing wild on the dyke banks and have few in the actual garden itself. As long as there are nettles somewhere in the vicinity (and I would be very surprised if there wasn’t!) you will get your Tortoiseshells and their allies: the Aristocrat butterflies as I call them.

Everyone's nightmare! Nettles AND dandelions: but this Comma is fuelling itself from the dandelion ready to lay eggs on the nettles.
Small Tortoiseshell larval web.
Singular Comma larva - eggs are not laid in batches as with Tortoiseshells and Peacocks.

GRASSES

Feed: Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood, Wall Brown, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Ringlet.

From the list above it becomes instantly obvious how important grasses are to butterfly populations, especially as other butterflies use them for roosting amongst. From our point of view they are an absolute nightmare, because with our garden being a former field, the grasses are wild grasses: excellent for the butterflies but appallingly difficult to control, especially the couch grass invasion of flower beds. You thought nettles were a problem! Watch this space..... the semi-parasitic plant yellow rattle (Rhianthus minor) that takes its nourishment from the roots of grasses is being introduced into the worst affected areas. In time this plant could be a very v.i.p. indeed, as it was in our Derbyshire garden,! Meadow Brown larva

Details:

SMALL SKIPPER:	Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus) is the main grass used. Quite an elaborate ritual is undertaken by the female (see Small Skipper section).
ESSEX SKIPPER:	Timothy grass (Phleum pratense) seems to be it's main foodplant, preferring tall clumps.
LARGE SKIPPER:	cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata) is the main grass used, usually tall isolated clumps but not exclusively so.
WALL BROWN:	various grasses are used. The female tends to lay on very sparse grasses.
SPECKLED WOOD:	tends to favour grasses that are sheltered by shrubs or hedgerows.
GATEKEEPER:	tends to favour grasses that are sheltered by shrubs or hedgerows.
MEADOW BROWN:	totally unfussy - lays in flight!
SMALL HEATH:	a visitor as yet, preferring habitats of extremely fine, low cut grasses of the fescue type.
RINGLET:	lays in flight, but more particular than the Meadow Brown, preferring damper or sheltered areas - the dyke banks are well suited.

BIRD’S-FOOT TREFOIL Lotus corniculatus

feeds: Common Blue.

The Common Blue is currently the only butterfly that utilises this major butterfly plant as a larval foodplant with us, in addition to the two Burnet moths that we occasionally see. This is a VIP, being a major nectar plant as well. It is nicely starting to spread throughout the site, especially the low growing flowering lawn meadow patch that runs parallel to the dyke. Long term hopes are for the DINGY SKIPPER (Erynis tages) and GREEN HAIRSTREAK (Callophrys rubi) to also breed on site using bird's-foot trefoil.

SORRELS Rumex spp.

feeds: Small Copper.

Grown purely for the benefit of the Small Copper , sheep’s sorrel remains somewhat sparse on our land, but the taller common sorrel has fast colonised, to boost the struggling (nationwide) Small copper population. The butterflies will also lay their eggs on the seedlings of broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) of which there are millions!

CRUCIFERS

feeds: Green-veined White, Orange Tip, and also Small White, Large White.

These related plants are wild or cottage garden plants belonging to the CRUCIFERAE family, and associated with the brassicas, of which the Cabbage Whites feed from of course. Those two butterflies - the Large and Small Whites - will also use these crops as larval foodplants, but it NEVER works the other way round, whereby the Orange Tip and Green-veined White use brassicas. Those latter two butterflies are the ones we grow these plants for (or allow them to stray into our garden) - we can't prevent Cabbage Whites from doing the same, at least it keeps them off neighbours crops.

The crucifers:

DAME'S-VIOLET	Hesperis matronalis larvae devouring dames violet seed pods
GARLIC MUSTARD	Alliaria petiolata
CUCKOO FLOWER	Cardamine pratensis - see pond garden for pic
HONESTY	Lunaria annua - see nectar plants for pic
OILSEED RAPE	Brassica napus

plus other related wild plants that, like the rape, find their way on to our land.

ALDER BUCKTHORN Frangula alnus

feeds: Brimstone, also Holly Blue

This small tree has been planted throughout the garden primarily as the chief larval foodplant of the Brimstone. (The other recognised foodplant is purging buckthorn – Rhamnus catharticus - of which I planted a couple and they had larvae on them the same season). As far as I am aware there is no Brimstone stronghold in this area, so by planting buckthorns we are certainly doing our bit by attracting this widely roaming species to our land - the females pick out buckthorns from great distances. The irony is that once emerged from the chrysalis in August, the butterflies roam off on their travels, largely ignoring our feast of nectar that we have laid on for them. At least they return each spring for the breeding season. It does seem a kick in the teeth though, and as yet the Brimstone population is never numerous. spot the Brimstone larva.

OTHER IMPORTANT LARVAL FOODPLANTS:

Holly (Ilex) and dogwood (Cornus) for the Holly blue.

Thistles for the Painted Lady. We do not attempt to keep a regular supply of these troublesome plants because of the inability of the butterfly to permanently survive in this country. It is purely a bonus migrant species. However, the neighbouring horse field and dyke banks are full of them, as can be seen from the picture. They are a classic nectar plant too.

Cranesbill (Geranium spp.) and rockrose Helianthemum nummularium) One or both of these wild flowers are keeping the Brown Argus colony going. More information needed.

Clover (Trifolium spp.) This abundant plant plays host of the occasional Clouded Yellow we are visited by, plus the Common Blue will readily take to it as well as bird’s-foot trefoil.

Elm (Ulmus spp.) on standby for the White-letter Hairstreak, a repeat of our Derbyshire fame (see home page). The Comma also uses it in addition to nettles.