The Wildlife Trusts recommend ways to plant to best support butterflies and moths and their caterpillars.

By Molly Blair

Published: Thursday, 29 June 2023 at 12:00 am

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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.

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) 

Supports common blue butterfly

Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa) 

Supports small copper butterfly

Fescue grass (Festuca sp.)

© Getty Images / Irina Pislari

Supports meadow brown butterfly

Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

© Jason Ingram

Supports holly blue butterfly

Read our piece on Ilex: holly bushes to grow for berries and evergreen leaves

Ivy (Hedera helix) 

© Getty Images

Supports holly blue butterfly

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

© Getty Images / Jenny Dettrick

Supports large white, small white and green-veined whit butterflies

Yorkshire fog grass (Holcus lanatus)

© Getty Images / skymoon13

Supports marbled white, speckled wood and small skipper butterflies

Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica)

© Getty Images / Robert Pickett

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

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