Back in the 1970's when I was a child there were definately more Butterflys in the UK than now. Infact it is certainly not an exaggeration of any kind to say I can remember hundreds of them flying about in our street at any one time. Now you are lucky to see a few in any year, let alone in a day. Can someone please recommend some plants I could grow in our garden (it is quite a small garden in LOndon UK) that would definately encourage butterflys to flourish. Also, does anyone know what I could do to encourage the caterpillars they grow from?
depending on the type of butterfly you are wishing to attract determines the types of plants you would want to incorporate into the garden. for example, monarchs and many of the swallowtail species prefer Asclepias or the milkweed family. not only is it their favorite nectar source but its also their favorite place to lay eggs. what are you trying to attract? there's not many butterfly's around here anymore either by the way.
Buddlia (Butterfly Bush) butterflies love it. Plant where it'll get lots of sun and it should attract all kinds of insects, especially Peacock, Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterflies.
they love to lay their eggs on Stinging nettles... as do ladybirds. So they are great for helping to spawn some butterflies!
