Helping butterflies

and moths

Butterflies are in trouble, but we can help by growing butterfly-friendly plants and taking part in the Big Butterfly Count

Butterflies are in trouble. According to Butterfly Conservation, 80% of the UK's butterflies have declined since the 1970s.

Butterflies react very quickly to changes in their environment. This makes them excellent biodiversity indicators, with butterfly declines being an early warning for other wildlife losses.

Surveys showed, for example, that the summer droughts and heatwaves of 1976 and 1995 took a real toll on many butterfly species. The heatwaves of 2022 – in which many parts of the UK saw record-breaking temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius – may have had similar devastating consequences. Prolonged cold, wet weather can also impact butterfly and moth populations.

Now, more than ever, butterflies and moths desperately need our help. And, with careful planting and managing, gardens and community green spaces can be vital havens for these much-loved insects.

Butterfly-friendly gardening

To attract butterflies and moths to your garden or green space, grow plenty of nectar-rich plants.

Nectar – a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants – provides butterflies and moths with the energy needed to fly and find a mate. In spring, it helps butterflies refuel after winter hibernation or a long, hard journey to Britain from Africa or southern Europe. And in autumn, nectar helps butterflies and moths to build up their energy reserves so they have the best chance of surviving hibernation or the journey back to warmer climes.

Creating a nectar-rich butterfly garden can be done without spending too much money. Packets of annual seeds are cheap to buy and easy to grow – with the added bonus that many are self-seeding, so will provide years of colourful, nectar-rich blooms. Try calendula, candytuft, alyssum, cornflower and sweet William.

For completely free butterfly-friendly blooms, allow dandelions and other native plants to grow in a wild corner. Try leaving an area of grass to grow long, and see which wildflowers emerge – bumblebees, as well as butterflies, will appreciate this sort of habitat.

If buying plants, try to include a range of different plants to provide a continuous source of nectar through the year – this will attract different butterfly species too. And butterflies like warmth, so choose a sunny, sheltered spot for your nectar-rich plants.

Remember that baby butterflies and moths – aka caterpillars – need to eat too. Good caterpillar food plants include hawthorn, holly, nettles, nasturtiums and ragwort.

It goes without saying that pesticides should never be used – they kill butterflies, bees and many other beneficial insects.

Five of the best blooms for butterflies

Verbena bonariensis. With stems up to a metre tall – supporting heads of lilac-purple flowers from August to October – these plants look great at the back of the border, and are easy to grow from seed.

Lavender. A familiar cottage garden plant, with fragrant flowers. Lavender plants can be used for edging beds or grown to form an attractive, low-growing hedge. They thrive in a sunny, sheltered position in well-drained soil – and are loved by bees as well as butterflies.

Perennial Wallflower. Also known as Bowles Mauve, this plant produces a profusion of sweet-scented purple flowers from April all through the summer. Wallflowers make great bedding plants and will grow well in full sun or light shade.

Marjoram. A perennial herb, growing from 20 to 80cm tall, with white, pink or purple flowers that grow on spikes from June to September. It's a good edging plant and useful ground cover, requiring little maintenance. The smaller varieties also do well in rock and alpine gardens.

Buddleia. Also called the 'butterfly bush', this plant is easy to grow in almost any soil – and it's a magnet for many different butterfly species. Different varieties will flower in pink, red, purple, or white, and bloom throughout July and August. Buddleia needs to be grown with caution, though – it can become invasive and so needs careful management if grown in gardens. To prevent seed development, and the risk of spreading, cut the plants back hard as soon as the flowers have faded. A good alternative to buddleia – and needing less management – is hebe. Also fantastic for attracting butterflies, hebes are available in a range of sizes and colours, including compact varieties that can be grown in a pot.

Moths need help too!

Moths are also affected by the same problems that can lead to the decline of butterflies: habitat loss and wet weather being the main culprits.

There are around 2,500 species of moth in the UK. Although most moths fly at night, there are more than 100 day-flying moth species in the UK – more species than British butterflies. Look out for fascinating humming-bird hawk moths, bright red cinnabar moths, or vibrant six-spot burnets.

For night-flying moths, grow night-scented blooms such as honeysuckle, jasmine, night-scented stock and tobacco plant.

Big Butterfly Count

Watching and identifying different butterflies is a wonderful way to spend a sunny summer afternoon.

Until 6 August, Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count is relying on members of the public to become citizen scientists and record their butterfly and day-flying moth sightings to help these wonderful insects.

There are around 2,500 species of moth in the UK. Although most moths fly at night, there are more than 100 day-flying moth species in the UK – more species than British butterflies. Look out for fascinating humming-bird hawk moths, bright red cinnabar moths, or vibrant six-spot burnets.

For night-flying moths, grow night-scented blooms such as honeysuckle, jasmine, night-scented stock and tobacco plant.

Big Butterfly Count

Watching and identifying different butterflies is a wonderful way to spend a sunny summer afternoon.

Until 6 August, Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count is relying on members of the public to become citizen scientists and record their butterfly and day-flying moth sightings to help these wonderful insects.

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Gatekeeper

Orange tip

Small skipper on thistle

Cinnabar moth caterpillars on ragwort

Comma on lavender

Red admiral on buddleia

Six-spot burnet