Butterflies of the world

 Grow a garden for butterflies.  

Butterflies are one of the world’s most loved insects; they often light up your garden. 

If you would like to encourage butterflies into your garden, then it is a good idea to provide food plants for the caterpillars as well as for the adult butterflies. Many caterpillars feed on specific host plants. You can help butterfly conservation by planting these plants in your home garden.  

Butterflies start life as tiny eggs, many of which are laid on the undersides of leaves or tree branches. It is important not to throw away fallen winter leaves as you may also be throwing away butterfly eggs or pupa, also known as a chrysalis. Leaves can be used in gardens as mulch, which will eventually become rich compost.   

The golden rule for a butterfly-friendly garden is to avoid using herbicides and pesticides. Using these will often kill butterflies at both the larval and adult stages. 

Different butterflies forage for nectar at different heights. It is good to have a range of butterfly food and nectar plants in your garden from tall shrubs, which bring height at the back of the borders, and smaller spreading plants which can be also be placed in pots. It is also a good idea to research how big each host plant gets before planting them in smaller gardens. 

Below is a list of some regions' butterflies and their host plants. Consider adding to your butterfly-friendly garden. 

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