BUTTERFLY FRIENDLY
Fill your plot with nectar-rich plants to make sure our flu ery garden helpers continue to thrive
This month sees the start of this year’s Big Butterfly Count, a citizen science project run by the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation.
The data collected from people recording the butterflies they’ve seen in their gardens and while out on walks, which is the world’s largest butterfly survey, is being used by scientists to understand the impact of climate change and habitat loss on butterflies and to protect them from extinction.
The UK has 59 species of butterfly; 56 are permanent residents and three – the red admiral, the painted lady and the clouded yellow – are regular migrants from Europe and Africa.
Butterflies are a crucial part of the food chain; their caterpillars are an important food source for birds, bats and other insect-eating animals, and their transformation from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis and finally a butterfly is one of nature's wonders. But it’s also their fluttering beauty that they bring to our gardens and the countryside that make them so special; there’s a child-like joy seeing butterflies, whatever your age.
It’s hard to imagine gardens without them, but that’s a very real possibility. Several species have become extinct over the last 150 years, including the large copper and the mazarine blue. Populations of butterflies react quickly to changes in the environment, making them early indicators of problems affecting nature, such as the impact of land development for industry and housing, intensive agriculture and climate change. The good news is that gardeners can help by turning their gardens into sanctuaries for these colourful creatures.