With the Big Butterfly Count next month, I’ve noticed more butterflies this year, it might be because I’ve more nettles in the garden but here are some plants that our favoured by our most common butterflies.
- Red admiral – mainly common nettle (Urtica dioica).
- Peacock – mainly common nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Brimstone – buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica); alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus).
- Painted lady – thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.); mallows (Malva spp.); common nettle (Urtica dioica), viper’s-bugloss (Echium vulgare)
- Comma – common nettle (Urtica dioica); hop (Humulus lupulus); elm (Ulmus spp.)
- Green-veined white – many plants including garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata); cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis); hedge mustard (Sisymbrium officinale); watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum); charlock (Sinapis arvensis); large bittercress (C. amara); wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea); wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum); nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus).
- Small tortoiseshell – mainly common nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Large white – mainly cultivated cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli etc (Brassica oleracea); oil seed rape (Brassica napus); nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus); wild mignonette (Reseda lutea); sea kale (Crambe maritima)
- Small white – mainly cultivated cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli etc (Brassica oleracea); nasturtium (Tropaeoleum majus)
- Orange-tip (rarer in gardens) – cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis); garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
- Speckled wood – false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum); cock’s-foot (Dactylis glomerata); Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus); common couch (Elytrigia repens)
- Meadow brown – grasses including fescues (Festuca spp); bents (Agrostis spp); meadow-grasses (Poa spp); cock’s-foot (Dactylis glomerata); downy oat-grass (Helictotrichon pubescens); false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum).
- Small copper – common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and sheep’s sorrel (R. acetosella) are the main foodplants. Broad-leaved dock (R. obtusifolius) may be occasionally used
- Holly blue – many shrubs including holly (Ilex aquifolium); ivy (Hedera helix); spindle (Euonymus europaeus); dogwoods (Cornus spp); snowberries (Symphoricarpos spp); gorse (Ulex spp); bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
- Common blue – mainly common bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus); greater bird’s-foot trefoil (L. pedunculatus); black medick (Medicago lupulina); common restharrow (Ononis repens); white clover (Trifolium repens); lesser trefoil (T. dubium).