Creating a Butterfly Garden..

I am hoping that my garden will become a haven for butterflies next Spring/Summer I have tried to buy as many Butterfly & bee attracting plants as possible.

Please post any pics of butterflies that you have seen in your garden with a description of the plant they were feeding on.

Any advice on how to promote breeding of these beautiful creatures in your garden would be welcome. Does anyone have a butterfly hibernation box in their garden?

If anyone is interested in this topic, I have found this great website:

http://www.butterflygarden.co.uk/index.html

it has lists of atrracting plants with hundreds of photos.

 

This Red Admiral landed on my hand ater feeding on a Buddlea

 

Hi Walnut, what a beauty. do you have any pics of the Buddlea?

 

Anyone else have any pics with descriptions of the flowers the butteflies are feeding on?

 

Hi r2oo, I've got these two from last summer.
First is feeding on a hebe flower,


Second I think is on thistles.

 

This is on the usual but probably one of the best attracting plants the good old buddlea

 

Great pics Pete

 

Hello, r2oo, here a few from me, although the flora is very different ...

Monarch on a Lantana ...



Iphiclids feisthamelii on a Lantana (obviously popular!)



Swallowtail on a Bougainvillea ...



Monarch on a Poinsettia ...



I will add that when I had a Buddleia before it collapsed of Honey Fungus overnight, the butterflies loved it.

 

Nice pics Lol, I know that lantana is supposed to be a good butterfly attracter, but mine never seems to, bumblebees yes, butterflys no.
Perhaps British ones dont know about it. :confused:

 

Fantastic pics guys, looks like you get some fantastic butterflies in Portugal, Lady of Leisure.
Pete Chech this out:
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=lantana+butterfly&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&start=20&sa=N&ndsp=20

 

Thank you, pete. I have lots of bees (abelias), too, but not bumbles. Maybe the "heat" on the flowers enhances the honey here?

The bumbles seem to prefer the Almond which is just starting to bloom, early I might add! The bumbles are HUGE here and so lovely and fuzzy, almost cuddly, :eek: I hear you say!

What are your butterflies as I'm trying to learn about them and haven't a clue?

My Iphiclids (which I think is the greater Swallowtail) was about 10cms tip to tail ... mind boggling! I've only seen the one ... and I happened to have the camera handy! Ureka!

There is a strange two-toned acid yellow one here I've seen a few times but never with the camera at the ready and I can't find it on my sites .... but I keep looking!

 

I dont know much about butterflies really, I just like to take a pic if I see a good looking one.
My first one is a red admiral followed I think by a comma and the last is a peacock.
I imagine you have a more varied selection over there in Portugal and a longer season.
Thanks for the link r2oo, I think it tends to show, not many british butterflies on lantana, but then I suppose we dont actually have large amounts of lantana growing over here.

 

Thank you, pete, if you don't mind I'll copy yours into my "borbaletta" file so I have some more to identify with. At the moment there are just lots of Monarchs around and what everyone calls the Cabbage Butterfly. Bees seems in profusion again for whatever reason. :confused:

Also, r2oo, thank you from me for that site ... now I have more ideas of what to look out for!

 

Hi r2oo

I started major work on my garden this year and my aim is to have it as an insect, bird and wildlife haven.

I have a butterfly hibernation box but wasnt used last year, am hoping for results this year though. I also have a log pile with lots and lots of twigs and small branches building it up so am hoping some caterpillars and other insects are using that. My local garden centre sells butterfly attractant, dont know how successful this will be but will put in my hibernation box this year, if you want I'll happily get you a tube, its �£2, also do ladybird and lacewing attractant.

I planted a buddleja bush for the butterflies and also some michaelmas daisies and a sedum, ruby glow as heard they were good for butterflies.

Info from 'The Organic Garden' by Christine and Michael Lavelle ...

"As is phlox paniculata - will attract adult butterflies and moths which will appreciate the nectar from the flower heads in late summer to early autumn

..and verbena bonariensis [tall verbena] - a fantastic plant for nectaring butterflies such as the small tortoiseshell, peacock, red admiral ad comma. Perhaps more effectiv that the more well-known buddleia.

..and centranthus ruber [red valerian] - one of the best flowers for butterflies providing nectar for small tortoiseshells, peacocks, red admirals and white and yellow butterflies.

..and eupatorium cannabinum - attracts butterflies and bees, this plant is one of the best for providing nectar to adult butterflies"

Am also going to lay out a banana skin or 2 on a patch as think they are very attractive to butterflies, if they get too horrid on the garden will put in my compost bin!

Would love to hear in the summer what you get, what have you planted so far? Would love more ideas too. My mason bee house was very successful, bees had started using it within days.

 

Hi Daydreamer, I'll let you know how it goes. Here's a couple more decent buterfly attractants:
Echinops 'Globe Thistle'
Sedim 'Ice Plant'
ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA

also, be sure to plant some stinging netteles in a pot somewhere as the are an invaluable host plant.

I going to make one of those butterfly/bug boxes soon.
I can't wat til spring.!!!