Create a beautiful butterfly haven in your back garden

Date:

Britain’s butterflies are in drastic decline. In fact, half of all British butterflies have recently been placed on the UK Red List of species, meaning they now face a serious threat of becoming extinct. Butterflies play a vital role in our planet’s biodiversity, it has never been so important that we act now to help save them.

As the headline sponsor of the Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count 2022, wildlife expert Vivara has set out to encourage as many people to get outdoors and transform their gardens into a paradise for butterflies this summer with some simple steps.

Plant butterfly-friendly flowers

Incorporating butterfly friendly plants in your garden will not only help struggling species like the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly, but it will also breathe colour and life into your space, no matter where you live!

Both butterflies and the plants need lots of sunlight, so find a sunny spot sheltered from the wind for your display. Butterflies love shrubby plants, like Buddleja and Lavender – just make sure you dig deep enough for them to take root and grow. It’s also important to add nectar-rich perennials, such as Lesser Calamint or an Ice Plant, which are best planted in long borders around a pathway or edge of green space.

If you’re not sure where to start, Vivara’s Beautiful Butterfly Border has everything you need to transform a 3 metre by 1 metre space into a haven for butterflies, and includes everything from Garden Catmint, Buddleja, Lavender, White Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan and Verbena Bonariensis, and Vivara also offers a handy planting guide to help you every step of the way.

If you have some flat space or soil with low fertility that appears dry with a lack of plants, why not let it grow wild! Try scattering some wildflower seeds with a mix of nutrient-rich blooms and give that corner of your garden back to nature.

Add a butterfly house

Often overlooked, butterfly houses are important as they provide our fluttery friends with shelter from poor weather, protection from predators, and a safe space to rest and feed. The narrows vertical slits in habitats mimic the bark of a tree, making it an attractive and welcome addition to your garden.

Vivara offers several charming habitats such as the Limited Edition Butterfly House featuring a lovely lilac roof, the Butterfly and Bee Hotel to provide the buzzing bees a shelter too, and the Dana Butterfly House Kit, ideal for encouraging children to get involved in the fun.

DanaButterflyHouseKit 92c91d25f2f86685
IthacaButterflyBox 3ea4887a5c87e142

Place your butterfly house of choice in a sunny spot facing towards the south as this helps butterflies to warm up naturally. Hang it from approximately 1.5 metres and place it near nectar-rich flowers to attract them to the house.

You can even make your butterfly house extra inviting by placing a few twigs upright inside the habitat to provide something for butterflies to cling to and rest.

Get ready to spot!

After you’ve planted up your garden, simply keep it well watered, sit back and watch it bloom! You’ll likely spot lots of native species fluttering in and out of your garden taking the nectar. Why not spend 15 minutes in a sunny spot and make a note of what species you see using Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count ID chart or the handy Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Book.

Once you’ve jotted down all of the beautiful butterflies in your garden, add your findings to the Big Butterfly Count’s website or app from 15July to 7 August. Every piece of data inputted helps paint a picture of butterfly numbers across the UK and contributes to the essential conservation of these wonderful creatures!  

For more information about Vivara visit www.vivara.co.uk

Get involved with the Big Butterfly Count at https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/

Leave a Reply

Share post:

Latest stories

More like this
Related

5 Ways to Create a Hedgehog-Friendly Garden

As urban landscapes encroach upon their natural habitats, hedgehogs...

Revitalised Railway Hedges Herald a Greener Future for Britain’s Railways

A remarkable transformation is taking root at Hadley Wood...

Johnsons Seeds Bumblebee Friendly Flowers

Johnsons Seeds has contributed over £3,900 to the Bumblebee...