A butterfly feeding on a garden flower
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Create a butterfly-friendly garden

Provide nectar for adults and food plants for caterpillars without needing a huge space.

Ongoing One growing season
Why it matters

Supporting butterflies means thinking about the whole life cycle. Nectar flowers feed adults, while caterpillar food plants and undisturbed shelter help the next generation.

Step by step

Make it happen.

01

Choose a sunny area

Most nectar-rich planting performs best in a warm, sheltered position where butterflies can bask and feed out of strong winds.

02

Grow nectar plants

Plant a succession of flowers with different shapes and heights, aiming for colour from spring through autumn.

03

Include caterpillar plants

Allow selected native grasses, nettles or other suitable host plants to grow in a managed corner where they will not be disturbed.

04

Leave winter shelter

Seed heads, hollow stems, leaf litter and dense evergreen growth provide places for insects to overwinter.

Keep it wild. Keep it safe.

Let wildlife arrive in its own time.

Use responsibly sourced plants and materials, avoid moving animals from the wild, and always build in safe access and escape routes. The best habitat is one that can settle, change and become part of the wider garden.

Keep exploring

One small change can open a whole new world.

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