With tempting food plants, your garden becomes a popular destination for butterflies. Crowds of colorful moths dance in the flower bed from spring to autumn, even if the table is richly set for the caterpillars. These tips will show you how to attract butterflies with the right flowers.
The summer lilac is not called butterfly lilac for nothing
Attract butterflies with flowers
Butterflies meet their energy needs with nectar and pollen. Uniform lawns without flowers far and wide are anathema to the butterflies. Remove a piece of the turf, sow the Veitshöchheim bee pasture and let yourself be surprised by the buzzing, buzzing and fluttering guests. With these flowering plants you can transform your natural garden into a swarming butterfly paradise:
- rule of thumb: Attract butterflies with native wild perennials and exotic plants with single flowers
- Native plant selection: Carthusian carnation (Dianthus carthusianorum), scabious (Scabiosa columbaria), wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare)
- Top butterfly willows: Summer lilac (Buddleja davidii), phlox (Phlox), zinnia (Zinnia)
A home-made herbal spiral with rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia) and nasturtium (Tropaeolum) exerts an irresistible attraction on butterflies. Motley butterflies cavort on the balcony when oregano (Origanum) and chives (Allium schoenoprasum) keep blooming company on the herb ladder.
Butterfly magnet: caterpillar food plants
Butterflies populate the garden and balcony, even if the offspring is taken care of. Caterpillars are not interested in nectar and pollen. Plant leaves are at the top of their menu. The more varied the range of forage plants, the more butterfly species there are. The following table provides an overview:
| butterfly species | caterpillar food plant | botanical name |
|---|---|---|
| dovetail | wild carrot | Daucus carota |
| Bull's eye and chess board | sweet grasses | Poaceae |
| Little wine lover | cleavers | Galium |
| Medium wine fanatic | fuchsia leaves | fuchsia |
| brimstone butterfly | buckthorn | Frangula alnus |
| Tree White | hawthorn species | Crataegus |
A wild corner in the garden makes the hearts of butterfly caterpillars beat faster. Here the offspring of admirals, maplets, little tortoiseshell, painted lady and peacock butterflies feast on stinging nettles, dandelion or tansy.
A garden full of exotic plants is a bitter disappointment for butterfly parents. More than 90 percent of the leaves of tropical flowers, perennials and shrubs are inedible for hungry caterpillars.
tips
In the bee-friendly garden, butterflies, wild bees and bumblebees come and go. This is achieved with a natural planting of native wild flowers and the consistent avoidance of pesticides and artificial fertilizers. The main pillars of garden care are weeding by hand, organic fertilizers with compost and plant protection with home remedies.