Preferred nectar plants

[Matsukaze]

What research has been done to determine what individual species' favourite nectaring sources are?

[Dormouse]

Hi Mat,

can't tell you about research only experience. In my garden the butterflies love the white buddleia daviddii. Sedum spectabilis is also supposed to be popular for late season but I've never seen one on mine!

I've had early painted ladies on hardy osteospermum and all sorts on my horse eye daisies (never yet known its botanical name but am happy to supply photos!). I've had a large skipper feeding on geranium Johnson's Blue and speckled woods everywhere except on plants (a bit like the white family!)!

I'm sure more other expert folk will answer this post but I've planted just about every plant/flower the books suggest are butterfly friendly and have found that is depends on the specific location and what's available (ie. local, native fauna/flora)

DM

[eccles]

There were stands of wild oregano or marjoram, not sure which, at several sites that I visited last summer and the blues, copper and painted lady seemed to love them. I may plant oregano as I like the herb anyway, crop it until summer then let it flower.
Edit: I've dug out more gardening info - oregano is sometimes planted amongst brassicae to deter the cabbage whites. Although orange tip and green veined white don't usually favour cultivated cabbages they may also be deterred by oregano.

[Matsukaze]

I am trying to grow marjoram, though the strong winds of a couple of weeks ago turned over the seed tray the seedlings were in, and I am not sure how many have survived, if any. The wind also seems to have done for the rock-rose, the second year in a row I have failed with that (last year I desiccated the plants...)

[Denise]

I have a patch of Oreganum vulare 'Aureum' (Golden oregano)pink flowered, which I bought on ebay in the spring. Nearly all the butterflies that come to my garden make a bee-line for it, especialy Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Painted Lady. Well worth the £2 it cost.

Denise

[Matsukaze]

Marjoram, knapweed and buddleia seem to be the most productive plants for butterflies in the wild. I have been growing the first two in the garden, but the marjoram has yet to flower and the knapweed has only just come into flower, too late for the grass-feeding butterflies that use it in the wild; similarly the devil's bit scabious which is said to be an excellent nectar plant too.

Most passing butterflies now are whites, which view the garden not as a feeding station but as a breeding ground; there are some very large Large White caterpillars munching through the nasturtiums at the moment. A Small White has laid eggs, too.

[Dave McCormick]

Buddleia apparently, the nectar is so strong in the plant, the butterflies that feed on it get "loaded" on the nectar and kinda like "drunk" and some such as the Red Admiral stay there for ages feeding on it.

[Lance]

Not sure about buddleia causing this but i have seen butterflies get 'drunk' on fermenting fruit falls.

[Susie]

I can't help you with what research has been done but here is a link to some good plants for butterflies.

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/d ... ening.html

When I first started gardening to encourage butterflies I planted lots of plants I hoped would provide nectar, now I provide plants that will feed the larvae too and this is much more rewarding.

My personal favourite flowers are vebena bonariensis, lavender, oregano, buddleia, scabious, nasturtium, valerian, honesty, honeysuckle, ivy, and garlic mustard.

[Dave McCormick]

my favourite pants that I use to attract butterflies: Bhuddlia, Michaelmas Daisys (asters), Wild radish flowers, valerian (mostly red valerian, it attracts many species including red admiral, small tortoiseshell, hawkmoths and painted ladys and others...)

[Matsukaze]

Our garden is on clay, and gets very muddy and loses its grass if it is walked on when wet; inevitably, when the growth in the flower beds is trimmed back at the end of the autumn, large areas of mud and bare earth are left next to the flower beds.

Last year devil's bit scabious flowered in the beds. This year I find that it has self-seeded into the areas of lawn which have lost their grass cover. I have transported a large number of these seedlings into a freshly dug bed, where in a year or two I hope they will provide a nectar resource for visiting butterflies.

[Lynn]

A few years ago I did a survey in my garden. On a really sunny day (probably in July) I stood by about 6 or 8 various plants for ten minutes and listed the butterfly species that visited. As it was a while ago I can't think where the results might now be so please don't ask! However I do remember that Gatekeepers seem to favour marjoram. If you can all bear to wait I will do the same exercise this summer IF we get a nice day.

I do have loads of different so called butterfly plants. In February species crocus might attract a visit from an early butterfly (ST here on 12th Feb this year on crocus). In March there are primroses, violets, wild plum followed by blackthorn, and just now the golden catkins of Goat Willow Salix caprea are coming out. Honesty & Ladies Smock provide nectar and are both used fro breeding by Orange Tip so they are worth having and are just coming out now. By May Phuopsis Stylosa will be in flower - it seems to attract Painted Ladies. I find that valerian comes into flower in May too & is an excellent plant blooming for many many weeks. It is particularly liked by Hummingbird Hawk moths. I have pink white & mauve so they look very decorative too. I was in Dorset in June 2006 & Red Admirals were having a feast on a pink flowered shrub in the garden of the B&B where I was staying. I managed to find out it was a deutzia, but although I looked in garden centres all summer could not find one that was really like it. In May 2007 I found what I hoped was the same one called Mont Rose. And yes even in last years poor summer butterflies were seen on it. That’s why I like gardening for butterflies - always different plants to find & try out.

It is in July & August that I have most butterflies in the garden so then need mega supplies of nectar. Have got loads of buddleias - the ones that were not pruned flower earliest, & I stagger the pruning of the others between February & April. And I also find buddleias are successful in pots. This has the advantage of making them portable. As one stops flowering its place can be taken by another in full bloom - in positions where I can see them well - like outside the office window.

The major nectar source is wild marjoram - it grows all over the garden. But in addition to this I have globe thistle Echinops ritro butterflies do get on it but it seems to attract more bees. However a bonus is Painted Ladies will breed on it. The perennial herbaceous phlox are well worth having and will continue flowering into autumn when they will be joined by michelmas daisies and sedum.

I could go on & on but I won't! Well I will a bit more! So lastly let butterflies choose your plants for you! Visit nurseries and garden centres on sunny days & watch what plants are attracting the butterflies. Last year a Meadow Brown made me buy a very nice pale yellow achillea! Those of you in Hampshire will easily be able to visit Longstock nursery to see the National Collection of buddleias. It is very interesting to see how butterflies much prefer some varieties to others. And that goes fo rall kinds of plants, lavenders, mints, hebes – lots of the plants articles recommend may not work for you. It’s either because it’s not a good variety or the butterflies prefer some other plant you have in your garden. And it’s by doing a little 10 minute survey on each plant you can actually check this out for yourself.

[Gruditch]

Try Echinacea Purpurea Magnus, stunning plant especially when planted in drifts, bees love it, and it was more popular with butterflies than our Buddleia last year. It also gave a sort of tropical feel to this pic below, unfortunately not a very tropical butterfly though

Gruditch

[Susie]

Thank you to everyone who has posted on this thread so far, I find it fascinating to read what your experiences are with butterfly nectar plants.

[Padfield]

Hemp agrimony is a strong attractor for many butterflies. Those of you lucky enough to live near brown hairstreak colonies (I remember one of you saying you had them in your garden) could expect to get the males posing fearlessly on this plant! Hairstreaks in general enjoy flat-topped umbels of many species, whether true umbellifers or not, and white-letter hairsreaks (as well as white admirals) are particularly partial to bramble blossom.

Male blues have a strong preference for the flowers of their larval host plants, though this is probably less true for the British species than generally in Europe. Female blues, perhaps surprisingly, are more eclectic.

Guy

[Bryan H]

Male blues have a strong preference for the flowers of their larval host plants, though this is probably less true for the British species than generally in Europe. Female blues, perhaps surprisingly, are more eclectic. Guy

I see what you're getting at here, Guy! British males tend to be more interested in football and beer than larval host plants, whilst the females (Essex in particular) are less choosy?

Bryan

[Susie]

Hemp agrimony is a strong attractor for many butterflies. Those of you lucky enough to live near brown hairstreak colonies (I remember one of you saying you had them in your garden) could expect to get the males posing fearlessly on this plant! Hairstreaks in general enjoy flat-topped umbels of many species, whether true umbellifers or not, and white-letter hairsreaks (as well as white admirals) are particularly partial to bramble blossom.

Well, that'd be me who is the lucky sausage who gets Brown Hairstreaks in the garden, and by luck I have just planted ten hemp agrimony plants in the garden around the pond. If they like flat topped umbels (why do I love that word "umbels" so much, it has a certain ring to it?) then hopefully they will like the Angelica and yarrow flowers too.

Thanks for the advice, Guy.

[Padfield]

Do you play the lottery too, Rosy? You seem to be good friends with Lady Luck!

Bryan: Hops and barley are the larval foodplants of British males!

Guy

[Susie]

I have never won anything on the lottery, or on anything else for that matter.

I heard the other day that Globe archichoke is a food plant of Painted Ladies. What do you reckon the chance is of getting them to breed here?

[Piers]

The chances are high Rosy, PL's breed in Britain frequently and in good years the larvae can be found easily on thistles such as spear thistle; they live a solitary existance in a 'tent' created from leaves spun together similar to Red Admiral larvae. They will accept nettle in captivity and are easy to rear if you wanted to observe their development.

Felix.