How to attract butterflies to your garden

Do you want to attract more butterflies to your garden?

An easy, low cost project that will brings lots of colour and life to your garden and help protect the butterfly population in the UK.  Simply by planning and adding a few pollinator-friendly plants you can create an interesting and desirable environment which will help bring insects and butterfly's to your garden. With over 40% of insects rates declining within recent years, encouraging them to thrive in your garden is not only important for helping your plants grown, but will also help these fascinating creatures whose numbers have so dramatically declined.

Choose some plants: Butterflies will visit any outdoor space, however small, if they can feed from suitable nectar plants, even planting a pot on your balcony can make an impact. 

Select a range of nectar-producing plants – examples being: Papaver, Phlox, Lavender, Foxglove, Potentilla, Campanula, Dianthus, Rhodanthemum, Polemonium and Dahlia.  Buddleia trees are an annual attraction for butterflies. 

Do ensure you regularly dead-head and water plants to prolong flowering.  

Do not use pesticides, especially those containing neonicotinoids and do not use peat based compost. 

Butterflies like warmth, so think about where to plant them in your outdoor space. Sunny, sheltered spots work best, so take this into consideration.

You could also create a butterfly bath, all you need is two terracotta pots (almost any size will do) but make sure you invert the bottom one to create height. Then put a terracotta saucer on top and start creating your 'island' using river rocks, pebbles and/or stones, fresh sliced fruit, herbs and water. Ensure this is placed in a sunny position so butterflies can bask.

To help identify types of butterflies visiting your garden and get involved in butterfly conservation, visit the official butterfly conservation website here: http://butterfly-conservation.org