What butterflies will you be spotting during Big Butterfly Count? By Hannah Stephenson, PA Wondering which butterflies you might spot in your garden this summer during Big Butterfly Count, the annual UK- wide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment my counting the amount and type of butterflies we see? It depends on the planting within your outdoor space – but you don’t just have to look at buddleia (also known as the butterfly bush) to spot a wealth of different species. “July is the peak season for some butterflies. Depending on where you are, you may well see small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies in your garden, which are among the most common species,” says Anthony McCluskey, conservation manager (Scotland) for Butterfly Conservation. “You may also see small white and large white butterflies which should be on the wing.”
Photo: speckled wood butterfly on grass
honesty and sweet rocket,” he says.
“Nasturtiums flower later in summer,so you’ll see butterflies on them. They will also be visible on other plants which flower earlier because they will be trying to lay their eggs on them.” Large whites lay many eggs, which are orange or yellow in colour and are easy to see on leaves, while small whites lay their eggs singly, which are still visible on the upper surface of leaves. “The caterpillars will cause some damage,” he concedes,“which is one of the ways you know caterpillars are present. Large numbers of caterpillars from the large white butterfly can strip the leaves.”
What plants are likely to attract particular butterflies?
Some people plant nasturtiums near their vegetable patch to deter the caterpillars from cabbages.
Nasturtiums
“Gardeners can plant certain plants which will attract white butterflies to lay their eggs there, including nasturtium,
Long grass
If you leave an area of long grass underneath trees or hedgerows it can attract species like the speckled wood butterfly, which is fairly common and does appear in towns and cities. He suggests extending No Mow May to attract these brown butterflies which have creamy speckles on the wings. They need long grass to lay their eggs.
Sedum and scabious
The nectar-rich flowers of sedum are very easy to grow, with bright flowers in late summer, while the pincushion flowers of scabious in pink and white flower all summer and are a magnet for butterflies.
Open-flowered dahlias
“Butterflies can get to the nectar in flowers that are quite closed, so go for more open single-flowered dahlias like Bishop of Oxford. You may see peacock butterflies, small tortoiseshell and red admirals,” he says.
Mint
Photo: red admiral butterfly on Verbena bonariensis
At the end of summer, mint will come into bloom and it’s a
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