Create a butterfly garden
Color and flower scent
Lemon butterfly, blue wing, admiral. There's something magical about the fluttering jewels of summer. A butterfly garden filled with fragrance and color is easy to create. It's guaranteed to be a place where people are drawn too. Today, with pollinating insects in decline, creating space for butterflies is especially important.
What plants attract butterflies?
When you say butterfly garden, many people think of lilac buddleia. With its pleasant scent and stunning flower clusters in blue, purple or red, it deserves its nickname "butterfly bush". But there are many more flowers that attract butterflies. Here are some tips.
- HERBS: Lavender, hyssop, thyme, oregano, sage, mint, rosemary
- FLOWERS: Flower tobacco, giant vervain, cucumber herb, cowslip, cornflower, daisy, violet
- SHRUBS: Lilacs, woodruff, wild honeysuckle, hedge spirea, various fruit trees
At least as important as the nectar plants are the butterflies' host plants. They provide a place for the female to lay eggs and then food for the caterpillars. In a garden that wants to attract butterflies, nettle has a natural place. It is the host plant for no less than six species of butterfly: admiral butterfly, nettle butterfly, peacock butterfly, thistle butterfly, map butterfly and currant butterfly.
- HOST PLANTS: Nettle, thistle, bracken, clover, goldenrod, sloe, yarrow
5 tips for the butterfly garden
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Choose a sunny and wind-protected spot
Plant the butterfly plants in a sunny and wind-protected spot. Butterflies thrive best in shelter and warmth. Make sure there are rocks - they store heat and make good seats. Butterflies cannot generate their own body heat, so they like to rest in warm places. A perfect opportunity to study them a little closer! Even a wind-protected balcony can be filled with fragrant colors that attract butterflies.
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Be hospitable all year round
Nectar is plentiful in high summer. It's especially important to look after the butterflies during the rest of the year. In spring, pearl hyacinth, snowdrops and violets are some good nectar sources. In autumn, the butterflies can turn to red coneflower, lovage and aster. Feel free to supplement the feeding with a low-rimmed barrel of diluted honey, sugar solution or sliced fruit. Overripe fruit in particular is yummy for the butterflies, which quickly find it with their proboscis. When cleaning the garden in autumn, it is wise to save host plants such as nettles, thistles and clover here and there. Another thing that helps butterflies is a butterfly hole. Lemon butterfly, nettle butterfly and peacock butterfly are some of the butterflies that overwinter as adults. These can sometimes find it difficult to find a place to nest during the cold months.
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Plant flowers in groups
Butterflies like to fly from flower to flower within a small area. When flowers are planted in larger groups, it is easier for butterflies to find their way. Large flower groups will of course be beautiful even to the human eye. Plants of different heights will attract different kinds of butterflies.
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Take care of thirsty butterflies
Set out a saucer of water in the garden. A bowl is also fine - but put in a few stones that reach above the water surface. This will give the butterflies somewhere to land, even when the water level in the bowl is singing. The drinking water will be appreciated, especially on hot summer days.
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Offer a non-toxic garden
Poisons and pesticides can harm or kill butterflies and other insects.
A piece of the biodiversity puzzle
The number of butterflies and other pollinators is declining rapidly. A butterfly garden is one of many pieces of the biodiversity puzzle. It is also a lovely place to be. Set up a deckchair or hammock to enjoy both the flowers and the fluttering visitors
:Hanna WendelboFact checked by Erik HoekstraLast updated 2023-03-22
