Attracting Butterflies: Bringing Life Back to the Garden

Butterflies are among the most enchanting visitors to the garden, yet many species have declined dramatically over recent decades. Loss of wildflower meadows, intensive farming, pollution and pesticide use have reduced the plants they rely on for food and shelter. Even small gardens can play an important role, offering patches of nectar, host plants, and safe places to rest.

Creating a butterfly-friendly garden is both practical and rewarding. Planting host plants for caterpillars ensures that butterflies can complete their life cycle: Nettles for Small Tortoiseshells and Red Admirals, or Holly for Holly Blues. Avoiding chemicals and allowing small wild corners or leaf litter provides overwintering spots for larvae and hibernating adults. Sunny, sheltered areas with flat stones or bare patches give butterflies a place to bask and warm their wings, ready for flight.

A Red Admiral nectaring on Echinacea purpurea

Favourite nectar plants make the garden irresistible to adult butterflies. Buddleia, Lavender, Eryngiums, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Verbena, and Asters all provide abundant nectar over a long season. Single-flowered blooms are easier for them to feed from than double blooms, and grouping plants together makes it easier for butterflies to find and feed efficiently. Choosing flowers that bloom at different times also helps provide food from spring through late summer.

A well-planted garden will attract a variety of species. You are likely to see Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Brimstone, and Holly Blue visiting your garden. Favourite nectar plants make the garden irresistible to adult butterflies. Buddleia, Lavender, Eryngiums, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Verbena, and Asters all provide abundant nectar over a long season. Single-flowered blooms are easier for them to feed from than double blooms, and grouping plants together makes it easier for butterflies to find and feed efficiently. Choosing flowers that bloom at different times also helps provide food from spring through late summer.

By planting with butterflies in mind, providing food, shelter and sunny, safe spaces, even small gardens can become vital havens. Each has its own character: the Peacock’s brilliant eyespots, the Red Admiral’s quick, darting flight, and the delicate pale blue of the Holly Blue — each adds movement, colour and joy to the garden.

The delicate Holly Bue

The Brimstone is one of the first butterflies of Spring

Practical Tips for Attracting Butterflies

• Plant host plants for caterpillars:

  • Nettles – essential for Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral larvae.

  • Holly – food for Holly Blue caterpillars.

• Provide nectar-rich flowers:

  • Buddleia, lavender, echinacea, rudbeckia, verbena, asters – long-flowering perennials that feed adult butterflies.

  • Group flowers together in sunny, sheltered spots for easier feeding.

  • Single blooms are easier for butterflies to access than double blooms.

• Offer shelter and warmth:

  • Shrubs, tall grasses, and evergreen hedges protect from wind and predators.

  • Flat stones or patches of bare soil allow butterflies to bask in the sun.

  • Leave some leaf litter or small wild corners for overwintering caterpillars and adults.

• Seasonal care:

  • Avoid pesticides, slug pellets, and herbicides to protect butterflies at all life stages.

  • Keep host plants healthy and replace any that decline.

  • Allow some seedheads and dried stems to remain through winter to provide cover and structure.

• Species you’re likely to see:

  • Peacock – loves sunny spots and nectar-rich flowers.

  • Red Admiral – quick, agile, attracted to Buddleia and nettles.

  • Small Tortoiseshell – bright and common, feeds on nettles.

  • Holly Blue – delicate, often around holly and ivy.

  • Comma and Brimstone – early spring visitors, drawn to warm, sheltered spots.

Small Tortoiseshell has declined dramatically in recent years

By combining food, shelter, and sunny spaces, your garden can become a small haven for butterflies. Even modest planting choices create visible rewards: colour, movement, and life that shifts with every season.