Butterflies Save them in the UK

[springbok]

Was watching a programme on TV, and it spoke of butterflies.

In the UK there is a large decline due to lack of gardens etc.... and they are asking everyone to set aside a small space in their gardens/allotments etc to grow wild flowers and butterfly attracting plants...

If everyone did 1 square metre they said , it would make a big difference to the butterfly population.....so thought I would put the idea here..and maybe some will do it :)

[springbok]

[kt.]

We are actually planting some plants specifically to attract butterflies to our garden.   My daughter got some free seeds with a doll.  Their flowers are designed to attract butterflies.   Her seeds are in 4 small pots in the greenhouse at present.   She is so excited. :D

[Robert_Brenchley]

We certainly don't see anything like the number of butterflies I remember as a kid. There are still a fair few round our site, though I don't see that many on traditional butterfly plants like buddleia and sedum. They only seem to attract specific species like Painted Ladies and Red Admirals. Small tortoiseshells which are the ones I always used to see on these plants, are thin on the ground. More sedums would be nice anyway.

[PurpleHeather]

There are loads of butterflies around here.

Too many by the state of my cabbages.

[manicscousers]

we have plants to attract butterflies at home and are doing our best at the plot, we actually managed to attract a hawkmoth butterfly there last year  ;D

[aromatic]

 :-\ Butterflies seem to be on the increase around here.... (Warwickshire) a lot of folks around here commented last summer and I noticed quite a few species myself... a lot of well tended gardens with loads of flora where I live so perhaps that helps. Also live in countryside so wildflowers/bushes round and about.  I try to do my bit and have four Buddleja davidii in my garden. I also grow lots of herbs common and wild.  I seem to have acquired a couple of packets of wildflower seeds so thinking of finding a small area in my garden to plant these so that will be my small bit to help attract the butterflies......

                                 

[teresa]

I read somewhere last year, that if we all grew a patch of nettles there is a rare butterfly that only lay's its eggs on nettles which are in decline, so all grow a few nettles. Just cannot remember which butterfly it is sorry.

[Robert_Brenchley]

There are loads of insects which lay on nettles; the sting keeps a lot of predators at a safe distance. Some of them will doubtless be rare, but is the nettle really declining?

[thespade08]

Well i hope im doing my bit for butterflies and bees,i have just visited my local
INSTORE shop and picked up a seed shaker butterfly and bee flowers,theres enough seed in it to cover 50m2.
and contains over 10,000 seeds all for £1.99 ;D,you just rake the soil level and shake the container to distribute the seeds.

[GrannieAnnie]

These are supposed to be good food/nectar sources so will be in our garden this year:
Asclepias tuberosa,
Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia sp.)
Zinnia variety Persian carpet (Zinnia sp.) and tall zinnias
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Dill (Anethum graveolens) Cilantro
Verbena ( not sure if the short ones are as good as the bush variety)
Milkweeds for monarch butterfly caterpillars
Parsley plants tucked in everywhere for the swallowtails though last summer had no takers. :-[ In 2006 though they were covered with butterfly caterpillars.
Violets

[ACE]

The nectar producing flowers that attract butterflys are not neccessarily the food plant for the caterpillar. I also doubt that few nettles would sustain a full crop of caterpillars, you need a very large part of your garden set aside.

So I put it to you. That you are the very people causing the decline by selfishly attracting the butterflys without giving them the right conditions for the caterpillars or the plants to lay eggs on. Those of you with cabbages do it right but then you go and kill them. Leave them alone and let nature do its work. I hear they are thriving on motorway embankments.

[aromatic]

Well there are plenty of motorway embankments around these days.... so guess that's a good thing in the case of the butterfly, and as I live very near to the M40 motorway any butterflies I attract will not have far to go to lay eggs etc!!  ;D

                             

[Robert_Brenchley]

There are no monarchs in the UK so forget the milkweed. Sedums are good.