The Wildlife Trusts recommend ways to plant to best support butterflies and moths and their caterpillars.
We all know how important butterflies and moths are for pollinating plants and gardeners are often keen to provide as many plants as possible to attract them. Caterpillars on the other hand are often more unwelcome visitors to the garden as they can strip plants and eat crops. However, the more caterpillars you can support in your garden, the more moths and butterflies there will be too.
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Although a whole range of flowers provide nectar for butterflies, most species only have a short list of ‘host’ plants that will provide food for their caterpillars. Experts at The Wildlife Trusts have provided us with their top larval plants and tips on how to plant a butterfly garden.
Read our piece on the top ten garden butterflies to look out for.
Best plants for butterfly and moth larvae
Here we have recommendations for the best plants to support butterfly and moth larvae as recommended by The Wildlife Trusts. Alongside these plants, it is also a good idea to include an open area for wildflowers and grasses that will attract egg-laying females. An area with low soil fertility is ideal for this.
Lady’s smock (Cardamine pratensis)
Supports orange-tip butterfly
Bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
![Common Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus icarus )on Bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2023/06/GettyImages-610722682-c847d1b.jpg?crop=20px,70px,4918px,3276px)
Supports common blue butterfly
Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
![Wildflowers by the coast path in Cornwall Limited depth of field image of wildflowers and grasses, including sorrel, an umbellifer and sea thrift. There is a field of yellow flowers in the blurred background. Taken by the coast path near Lundy Bay, which is part of Port Quin Bay, North Cornwall. They are growing in the top of a Cornish hedge.](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2023/06/GettyImages-1497855598-9496b9c.jpg)
Supports small copper butterfly
Fescue grass (Festuca sp.)
![The meadow grass tall fescue (Festuca partensis) in spring. The beautiful wallpaper of Red fescue (Festuca rubra)The meadow grass tall fescue (Festuca partensis) in spring. The beautiful wallpaper of The meadow grass tall fescue (Festuca partensis) in spring. The beautiful wallpaper of Red fescue (Festuca rubra)The meadow grass tall fescue (Festuca partensis) in spring. The beautiful wallpaper of](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2023/06/GettyImages-1329773738-62f1d30.jpg)
Supports meadow brown butterfly
Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
![Ilex aquifolium 'Pendula'](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2019/11/251109_Holly-088-afd1f0a.jpg?crop=7px,1844px,4019px,2677px)
Supports holly blue butterfly
Read our piece on Ilex: holly bushes to grow for berries and evergreen leaves
Ivy (Hedera helix)
![Solid ivy on the ground in summer](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2023/06/GettyImages-1331481157-89213ac.jpg)
Supports holly blue butterfly
Here’s more on why we need to learn to love ivy
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
![Close-up of nasturtiums in the garden.](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2023/06/GettyImages-1291196611-822e7d5.jpg)
Supports large white, small white and green-veined white butterflies
Here are more edimentals to grow
Yorkshire fog grass (Holcus lanatus)
![Holcus lanatus or yorkshire fog or tufted or meadow soft grass field in sunshine](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2023/06/GettyImages-976851658-fc9f4fd.jpg)
Supports marbled white, speckled wood and small skipper butterflies
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica)
![Stinging Nettles, Common Nettle, Urtica dioica, East Blean Woodlands, Kent UK, Kent Wildlife Trust, herbaceous perennial flowering plant, plant has many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on its leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation when contacted by humans and other animals, butterfly foodplant, peacock, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, comma, butterflies](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/40/2023/06/GettyImages-520718936-64925f6.jpg)
Supports comma, peacock, red admiral and small tortoiseshell butterflies
Planning a butterfly garden
- Plant large clumps of larval food plants together.
- Aim for year-round flower interest, with early and late sources of nectar.
- Only use peat-free compost to help prevent damage to rare habitats.
- Delay cutting back in the autumn and tidy borders in later winter instead.
- Don’t use pesticides.
For more tips on attracting butterflies to the garden, visit wildlifetrusts.org