Forum home Wildlife gardening
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Which plant in your garden are butterflies loving most?

245

Posts

  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    We get moths in abundance, but hard to know what they go for in particular, they are just generally around the wildflowers and long grass. I presume the night scented white ones are a big draw, so sweet rocket, honeysuckle etc.
    only ever seen hummingbirds hawks on the buddliea once or twice, will have to get some Abelia then!
  • _Nicolas__Nicolas_ Posts: 48
    edited June 2022
    I see Achillea has come up a couple of times here, it gets mentioned a lot when I talk to people about butterflies, but it seems to be mainly the millefolium species (the white 'lawn weed'/wildflower) rather than the cultivated types that is most successful with them, so I can't grow it because it would dominate my small garden, I think. :/ But I still get some interesting insects on my A. 'Lilac Beauty', like the wasp species Gasteruption jaculator and assectator!

     
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I just asked on a neighbour group and someone about three blocks over says they regularly get "brimstone, orange-tip, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, peacock, comma, gatekeeper, speckled woods and holly blues".  Their gardens are much bigger, with larger, older trees - more like woodland, I suppose. Maybe  my garden is just too small and all the small terraces here are just not wildy enough to bring many butterflies in - despite intentional planting for them. I feel sad not to see them much.
  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    Not many around at the moment. I had a small tortoiseshell today that kept landing on Mexican fleabane (Erigeron) - first time I've noticed a butterfly feeding on those.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    @VictorMeldrew Is that your picture?
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    Great pic @VictorMeldrew
  • LunarSeaLunarSea Posts: 1,923
    Fire said:
    @VictorMeldrew Is that your picture?

    Yes. Good job it stayed around for a while. I remember shooting hundreds of frames but most were unusable. Can you imagine doing that in the days of film?
    Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border

    I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    No. :D

    Even with a posh, modern camera, it's still a great moment to capture.

    🥂

  • _Nicolas__Nicolas_ Posts: 48
    Small Copper on my Eupatorium cannabinum, the third to visit my garden. Also had a Ringlet visit for the first time ever, which takes me up to 18 different species! :) My Buddleia davidii are getting the most attention from butterflies ATM.


Sign In or Register to comment.