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Gardening to save our Native Butterflies - by Jan Miller
Jan is a volunteer for Butterfly Conservation
North Wales Branch, and designer of community butterfly gardens that have
won first prize in Britain in Bloom, Wales in Bloom and the Snowdonia
Wildlife Gardening competition. - see lots more at
www.northwalesbutterflies.org.uk
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| "The Comma" - one of our more common wild visitors to our
summer gardens |
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Everyone loves butterflies; they are the movement-and-dance overture of the
constantly changing colour show in our summer gardens - some people like to
think of them as additional "flying flowers". But the sad fact is that our
own wild ones are dying out, even ones that used to be common ten years ago.
Of the approximately 60 species of native British butterflies, more than
half are under threat and restricted to a handful of localities. Habitat
destruction is the main cause; intensive farming encouraged after the last
war with good intentions, has meant the disappearance of many wild plants
that butterflies relied on for caterpillar food. Building development has
meant what natural habitat does remain is in isolated, distanced 'islands';
and most British butterflies can't fly more than a few miles from where they
hatch. Most also need very specific plants on which to lay their eggs. This
was an advantage until Man interferred, as the different species wouldn't
compete with each other.
Butterflies are also very dependent on local weather patterns; if it rains
for days when the adults emerge from their pupae, they can't dry out their
new wings and simply die.
But our gardens could be the saving life-line. By providing both nectar-rich
plants for the adults to sip from and food plant leaves for their
caterpillars, we can give 'island-hopping' butterflies the means to get to a
new habitat and spread again. Encouragingly, a few species are actually
increasing their range at present - probably due to global warming, but also
partly to more sympathetic countryside management.
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| "The Emperor" - a common night-flying native moth |
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Moths, closely related to butterflies, are not generally as popular, but
many are just as beautiful though rarely seen because they fly at night.
There are quite a few that fly in the daytime, however, like the Hummingbird
Hawkmoth which hovers just like a tiny Humming Bird.
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| A lot of Hummingbird Hawkmoths were seen in gardens in 2006
- these are migrants from the continent in good summers - this one nectaring
on late-flowering Buddleia variety 'Beijing' |
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Moths have the most poetic names, given by the Victorian enthusiasts who
first used light traps to be able to see them. Names like "Scarce Vapourer",
"Rosy Footman" and "Flame Brocade", are all very descriptive, but some
obviously frustrated their would be identifiers - "The Confused" and "The
Cryptic" are names still in the reference books!
And all these insects are only the tip of the ice-berg; if we conserve
habitat for them we also conserve it for other insects, and that means food
for our wild birds, bats and small mammals that are also becoming scarce.
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| Late-flowering Buddleia weyeriana "Golden Glow" with a
Peacock butterfly |
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Most people know about Buddleia - often called "The Butterfly Bush"- for
attracting lots of butterflies in late summer. But in fact, if you look, you
will see that they are always the same five or six species - Red Admiral,
Painted Lady (both of which are immigrants each year from the continent),
Large (or 'Cabbage') White, Small Tortoishell, Comma and Peacock. Luckily
for us, these are some of the most attractive butterflies, and ones that
regularly visit gardens. But what about the fifty or more other species of
native butterflies? Where do they live, what do they feed on?
Some are so specialised, and now so rare, that they will hardly ever come
into your garden. But if you are lucky enough to live near a wild area where
some of these rarer species breed, you may just attract them by growing
their favourite plants. The exciting thing is, if you grow the plants that
they must have to lay their eggs on, you may even help them to increase!
Other popular nectar plants often grown in our gardens include; Ice Plant
(Sedum spectabile), Lavender (especially "Munstead"), Michelmas Daisy,
Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), Aubretia, Red Valerian, French Marigolds, Hebe
(especially 'Great Orme' and 'Midsummer Beauty'), and Candytuft.
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Small
Tortoiseshells on Hebe 'Midsummer Beauty' |
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There are a few rules of thumb if you want to grow flowers to encourage more
butterflies into your garden. Butterflies have poor sight, so are attracted
to large clumps of the same flower. They seem to prefer purples, deep pinks
and sometimes yellow and white. They need to feed in warm, sunny places,
sheltered from the wind. The individual flowers should be single; doubles
and other fancy cultivars are often ignored. The plants need to be
well-watered in times of drought so that enough runny nectar is produced,
and of course, there can't be any spraying of insecticides!
For many moths the main requirement is that the flowers open and are scented
at night (they have evolved to be pollinated by moths). This is also good
news for us who in recent years have started using the patio and garden
lighting to sit out with our gin-and-tonic in the evening, and can now enjoy
these night-scented flowers ourselves! There are relatively few of these,
but good ones for the garden are; Nottingham Catchfly, Bladder Campion,
Evening Primrose (Oenothera spp.), Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymen),
Night-scented Stocks, Petunias, Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), Tobacco
Plant (Nicotiana, especially pale coloured varieties), and White Jasmine.
The spectacular caterpillar of the Small Elephant hawkmoth surprises many
gardeners on their hardy fuchsias - but it's native foodplant is the pretty
wildflower 'Rosebay Willowherb'
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When we come to the plants on which the caterpillars have to feed, we find
quite a different list, however, and very few of these are currently grown
in gardens.But many of them are attractive in their own right and could be
used in planting schemes, with a little thought. Butterflies and moths share
many of the same caterpillar or 'larval' foodplant species, although many
moths also rely on our native trees, especially oak, beech, willows, sallows
and aspens as well as buckthorn and hawthorn in the hedges.
Butterflies within the same Family tend to like one particular larval
food-plant; The Browns and The Skippers need various native grasses like
Yorkshire Fog, Cock's Foot and Wood False Broom (NOT Italian Rye Grass!),
The Vanessids (including Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell) need Stinging
Nettles, The Whites need the cabbage family, including Honesty, Cuckoo
Flower, nasturtiums and Garlic Mustard for Orange Tips.
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| The Brimstone Butterfly |
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Other species have more individual preferences The Brimstone needs Purging
and Purging Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus ) on limey soils or Alder
Buckthorn (Frangula alnus ) on wet, acid soils. The Brimstone is possibly
the origin of our word 'butterfly' as it was the first 'butter-coloured fly'
that would be seen in Spring. It is common in England but scarce in North
Wales, it is thought simply because the buckthorn was not traditionally used
for farm hedging here. It is also one of our butterflies that can fly
further - up to 15 miles searching out just one buckthorn shrub in a sunny
spot on which to lay its eggs. So if we could all plant just one of these
buckthorn (it is not the same as Sea Buckthorn) in our gardens we might draw
this gorgeous yellow creature across from England!
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| "Bird's foot Trefoil" (Lotus corniculatus) - a wild flower
needed for the caterpillars of the Common Blue Butterfly, plus others as
well as Bumblebees, which is pretty enough for any garden |
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Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is needed by many blue butterflies
and moths, as well as Holly and Ivy for the Holly Blue. Sorrel or Dock is
eaten by the Small Copper caterpillar, and Elm is needed for the White
Letter Hairstreak. (This butterfly is now rare, but surviving on Wych Elm
since Dutch Elm disease hit) The Hawkmoths like various epilobium species,
including Rose Bay Willowherb for the eccentrically camouflaged "Elephant
Hawkmoth.
With the exception of a big enough patch of nettles, all these plants could
be happily incorporated into today's garden. Research has found that to
attract egg-laying, a nettle patch had to be at least 6 feet x 6 feet,
should be in full sun most of the day and not have overhanging branches (on
which birds can perch to pick them off), though be sheltered from strong
winds. Perhaps the Councils who are thoughtfully planting our road verges
with wild flowers should be encouraged to allow nettles too. To plan a
garden to encourage more butterflies and moths you could have around the
edge a mixed hedge of native trees, as well as large Hebes, Privet (the
golden one, allowed to flower, provides wonderful scent as well as
winter-hardy golden foliage), Buddleias - whose flowering season may be
extended by growing different varieties like 'globosa' for early, weyeriana
'Golden Glow'for July to November and 'Beijing' for late flowering.
Buddleias can also be fooled into flowering later by cutting them back hard
later than the usually recommended March.
You could have the lovely Golden Hop and Honeysuckle twining through your
hedge (avoid many of the cultivated types of Honeysuckle - they have no
scent. It is best to stick to the wild species which is so gorgeous anyway)
You also really need Ivy in the hedge to provide some of the only available
nectar late and early in the year. It also is invaluable for hibernating
adults in the winter.
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| A Red Admiral nectaring on one of the garden varieties of
Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium) (Jan Miller holds the National Collection of
Eupatoriums, which are best seen in August and September) |
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The Herbaceous border could have drifts of Marjoram, French marigolds, Hebes
and lavender in high summer and Hemp Agrimony (Eupatoriums), Sedum
spectabile and Michelmass Dasies for autumn flowers, with Bird's foot
trefoil as an ideal edging plant as it doesn't like being overshadowed.
Honesty makes lovely purple clumps very early in the year and attracts the
early butterflies - as it is a biennial, some plants can be pulled out after
flowering to make room for summer flowers, but leave enough for a show of
'silver penny' pods in autumn and winter.
Tall, architectural plants for the back of a border can include Teasel (and
you'll get Goldfinches coming for the seed in Autumn) as well as some of the
spectacular thistles like the Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans).
The Rockery or walls could have all the little dry, low-growing,
limestone-loving plants like Bird's foot trefoil, aubretia, rockrose,
thymes, alysum, candytuft, restharrow and Dog violets. The pond or
bog-garden could have water mint, Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis),
Devil's bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium spp.)
and Purple Loosestrife. Cotton Grass and Purple Moor Grass would be a boon
for several rare species in boggy areas.
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"Lady's
Smock" or "Cuckoo Flower" - needed by caterpillar and adults of the Orange
Tip butterfly |
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And the lawn, part allowed to grow longer as a wildflower meadow for most of
the summer, could include Knapweed, Scabious, sheep's sorrel, clover,
cranesbill, Black Meddick, crucifers like Dame's Violet and Garlic mustard,
Lady's Bedstraw, Kidney vetch and wild grasses.
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A Common
Blue butterfly on Kidney Vetch. |
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Lastly, don't forget the vegetable Patch and fruit trees. We have to get
used to the idea of being happy to see caterpillars on our cabbages! Well,
some could be transferred to the nasturtiums you're growing in other parts
of the garden. And do leave a few apples rotting under the friut tree in
autumn, this will delight many late adult butterflies.
Just growing all these plants won't automatically mean that you will get the
rarer butterflies in your garden; but if thousands of us are doing it all
over the country, we may stand a chance.
To find out more and to buy many butterfly and moth-attracting plants go to
www.northwalesbutterflies.org.uk
Jan's book "A Country Diary for North Wales" is also available from this
website, or from Conwy Butterfly Jungle and local bookshops - she is
planning a new book on Gardening for Butterflies to be published soon.
Copyright Jan Miller 2006
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