Sweet Butterflies

They are enchanting and colourful and often only live for just a few weeks but we need to help them flourish if future generations are to enjoy the wonderment of butterflies. Here’s how to help them thrive in your garden.

They’re been around for 50 million years or more and our literature, music and the arts are littered with references to the iconic butterfly from the Bible through to Shakespeare. We see them as symbolic of nature, peace and freedom.  They are not only beautiful to look at, they play an important role in our ecosystem. From a young age children learn about the lifecycle of a butterfly from egg to caterpillar to the chrysalis. 

One of the best ways you can help with butterfly conservation is to record the butterflies you see in your garden or on a daily walk. Ireland’s National Biodiversity Data Centre has a variety of butterfly monitoring schemes you can join to help conservationists assess how the species is doing and the health of our environment. The Irish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, for instance, involves a weekly walk between April 1 and September 29 but if you have less time there are other ways you can help (visit biodiversityireland.ie).

There are 35 species of butterfly in Ireland that are increasingly under threat from environmental change. More people, changes to the land and the climate are all taking their toll on our butterflies. 

But how can we ensure the wellbeing of these beautiful insects?

Expert Russel Hobson, of the charity Butterfly Conservation, offers the following guide…

What butterflies might I see/not see in my garden?

“What you will see in your garden depends on where you live. Butterfly populations can be different between towns, cities and the countryside, as well as clustered in different places.” There are  lots of colourful favourites, from the gaudy peacock to the small but sweet holly blue to the big, wafting large white, he explains.

How do I attract butterflies to my garden?

“The best way to attract butterflies to your garden is to provide the plants that support every stage of their lifecycle,” Hobson advises.

Grass (particularly if it’s allowed to go wild), helps to provide a protective habitat for butterfly and moth caterpillars and eggs, especially over the winter. It will also encourage wildflowers – such as dandelions and bird’s foot trefoil – to grow too, which make for good nectar sources for adults.

Nettles are another great plant for butterflies, he says, providing food for caterpillars of red admiral, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and comma.

What flowers should I grow?

“Choose native, nectar-rich plants for butterflies and moths. Great examples of butterfly-friendly plants include lavender, Verbena bonariensis, Sedum Hylotelephium spectabile (the pink form), red valerian and wallflowers such as Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’. Plant these in sunny spots, so butterflies can bask at the same time as they feed,” he advises.

The flowers of many herbs – including marjoram, chive and thyme – make delicious food for adult butterflies and moths, as well as benefiting humans too, he adds. Great if you have room for a few outdoor pots or a window box.

Wildflowers including yarrow, ox-eye daisy and meadow cranesbill are also a butterfly magnet, and you can grow them easily from seed.

What’s bad for butterflies?

Spraying your plants with harmful pesticides is bad for butterflies. If you have problems with slugs and snails, remove them by hand and release them away from your best plants, he advises.

“Often, plants which have been cultivated to look bigger and brighter to the human eye are less helpful for butterflies, as they contain less or no nectar. Make sure you intersperse them with other border-filling butterfly-friendly plants, such as salvia and lupins.

“And always buy peat-free compost. Some of our rare butterflies and moths live on undamaged peat bogs,” he notes.

Do you need to be an experienced gardener to plant well for butterflies?

Not at all. TV doctor Amir Khan, ambassador for Butterfly Conservation, has been doing his bit in his own garden to help butterflies thrive.

He says: “You don’t have to be an expert gardener to attract them. I grow buddleia and lavender, which is certain to lure them in. I also have a wonderful area of thistles (cirsium rivulare), which pop with colour at just the right time, as well as a thriving Verbena bonariensis, perfect for providing nectar into the late summer and a good one to grow in pots if you don’t have much space.

“It’s surprising how many species are attracted to my garden each year, including colourful peacocks, red admirals, orange tips, painted ladies, large whites, commas and the occasional small copper too, showing that you don’t have to live in a rural location or have lots of outdoor space.” WW

Butterfly species found in Ireland, for more visit irishbutterflies.com

Multi-coloured Butterflies

Peacock

Small Tortoiseshell

Painted Lady

Red Admiral

Silver-washed Fritillary

Dark Green Fritillary

Marsh Fritillary

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Comma

Small Butterflies

Holly Blue

Small Blue

Common Blue

Brown Hairstreak

Purple Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Small Copper

Dingy Skipper

Essex Skipper

Small Skipper

Brown Butterflies

Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

Ringlet

Wall Brown

Grayling

Gatekeeper

Small Heath

Large Heath

White/Yellow Butterflies

Green-veined White

Small White

Large White

Wood White

Orange Tip

Brimstone

Clouded Yellow