Growing Wild flowers for Butterflies

One of the many benefits of growing wildflowers is that they will attract a wide variety of insects including butterflies and moths. Wild meadow grasses will also attract butterflies, in particular meadow browns and skippers.

Butterflies will visit many wildflowers for the pollen and nectar, drawn by the sweet scent. Then there are specific wildflowers that will act as host plants for breeding butterflies. Often a particular species of butterfly will have it’s own specific host plant on which they will lay their eggs.

If you wish to grow wild flowers for butterflies, then it is usually best to position them in the warm sheltered position, which butterflies will prefer. Try growing them close to a nettle bed or Buddleia bush, both of which are renowned for attracting butterflies.

Try the following wildflower plants for butterflies.

Common species:

Hedge garlic- Orange tip Cuckoo flower- Orange tip Red and White clover- Common blue Bird’s-foot trefoil- Common blue Common Sorrell- Small Copper Mallows (various) – Painted Lady Viper’s Bugloss- Painted Lady Meadow grasses- Meadow Brown, Wall Brown, Skippers, Gatekeeper, Ringlet

Less common species:

Horseshoe Vetch- Adonis blue Common Dog Violet – Various Fritillaries Common Rock Rose – Brown Argus, Green Hairstreak, Northern Brown Argus, Devils Bit Scabious- Marsh Fritillary Meadow grasses- Meadow Brown, Wall Brown, Skippers Cowslip/Primrose -Duke of Burgundy Kidney Vetch- Small Blue