The 2nd June was a cause for celebration at the beauty that is the butterfly. Every year BEAD (Butterfly Education and Awareness Day) allows you to learn all about the stunning insects and their habitats, creating a cross-curricular learning environment where you can find out various fascinating facts about the incredible creatures.
Butterflies play an important role when it comes to flowers due to their pollinating capabilities. Pollen collects on the body of the butterfly and is transferred onto the flower that it next encounters, spreading the pollen and thus continuing the cycle of pollination.
As we celebrate butterfly awareness day, find out which flowers attract the special insect, and how you may be able to attract them to your garden.
What Flowers Attract Butterflies?
With butterflies, you must incorporate plants that best serve the needs of all of their life stages to attract them. As is common with most animals, the insects need a space to lay eggs and also need food plants for their larvae.
Adult butterflies are attracted to bright colours such as red, yellow, orange, pink and purple blossoms. Here we have listed some of the top flowers and plants which you can use to attract butterflies:
- Buddleia
- Verbena
- Knapweed
- Ivy
- Eupatorium
- Marjoram
- Michaelmas Daisy
- Lavender
- Scabious
- Hebe
Find out more about these plants and what species of butterfly they attract.
How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden
Butterflies are a beautiful and welcome visitor to any garden, however, in recent years some species have seen a decline. Many ask the question; how do you attract butterflies to your garden? Here at Planteria Group, we have the answers.
One of the main elements that will attract butterflies to your garden is planting pollinator friendly flowers. Ones rich in nectar, such as wildflowers, are a great choice.
Why not create a butterfly garden? This will provide the resources to sustain resident breeding populations of native butterflies. Take a look at the top 10 plants for butterflies..
If you are a lover of butterflies, you can transform your space into a butterfly garden with these easy steps:
- Avoid insecticides.
- Plant nectar rich flowers, such as bramble.
- Keep nectar and host plants close together.
Celebrate National Insect Week
18th – 24th June hosts National Insect Week, an event which aims to educate and raise awareness, by encouraging people of all ages to learn more fascinating information about insects. This fun filled week sees hundreds of events and activities across the UK, giving you the chance to discover insects you might not have known existed. It also gives you the opportunity the meet the entomologists who study them, answering any curious question you might have.
The week is supported by a large number of partner organisations who are interested in science, natural history and the conservation of insects, helping to reach a wide audience and create maximum interest for those who attend.
One of the partner organisations is the Butterfly Conservation, whose aim is to save butterflies and moths. Through their work, they have been able to raise awareness about the decline in numbers that many species of butterflies and moths are currently experiencing.
Butterflies are a beautiful part of nature, playing an important role in pollinating flowers. Will you be celebrating National Insect Week? As a specialist in plants and flowers for business, we offer a range of plants and we can help you turn your outside areas into butterfly attraction zones giving you an eco-friendly space that can be enjoyed by your colleagues and the local butterfly population.
If you would like to find out more about our services, contact a member of the team today by calling 0345 505 333. Alternatively, email enquiries@planteriagroup.com with any enquiries – our friendly team will be more than happy to help.
