Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden Revised Feb07.Pub
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BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION SA Inc. FACT SHEET Attracting butterflies to your garden BCSA LOGO Adult butterflies need a nectar source, a meeting Some native flowering plants include: place and protection from predators. The (Scientific names are in italics) plant list below is a start to creating a garden Christmas Bush (Bursaria spinosa) with which will attract butterflies to visit you. white flowers; Rice Flowers (Pimelea); However, if you want them to stay and breed, Native Verbines (Cullen or Psoralea); you will need to establish their caterpillar Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvi- food-plants as well. A list of some of the Urban folium); Everlasting Daisies (Bracteantha and butterfly food-plants is provided below. Chrysocephalum); Scaevola; Goodenia, Hakea; Emu bush (Eremophila sp); Tea Tree A garden should not be just a collection of (Leptospermum); Wattle (Acacia); Bottlebrush plants scattered anywhere, but a balanced and (Callistemon and Melaleuca); prostrate flowering natural environment attractive to living things. Eucalypts (suitable for small gardens); Vittade- It has to be inviting for all of us; a place to relax. nia daisies which has an abundance of composite Appropriately designed “natural” gardens can be purple flowers; Native Lilac (Hardenbergia low maintenance and have the botanical splen- violacea); Running postman (Kennedia dour to lure butterflies.Butterflies need a certain prostrata) ground cover with red flowers and amount of warmth bush peas (Pultenaea). The following are some exotic plants that attract butterflies to the Australian garden. Buddleia species are the most famous throughout the world for attracting butterflies, hence the common name “Butterfly Bush”. Buddleia davidii and cultivars (pink, purple and white) are the best. Other buddleias are B. alternifolia, B. weyerana (cream), B. globosa (yellow). Verbena either as annuals or perennials, have really bright colours (some are weeds). Lavenders however Lavendula stoechas and its cultivars (Topped or Italian Lavender) is an ‘Tailed Emperor’ Polyura sempronius photo: L.Hunt invasive plant and should be avoided. Hybrid / non-seed setting species are suggested. before they can become active. As soon as they Hebe or Veronicas with its many varieties and are mobile they will search for the warmest, colours are hardy plants used as a hedge. (not hot), sheltered spot to bask in the sunshine Lantana, is a pest in the tropics, however and then find a nectar source for refuelling. butterflies love them especially pink flowers. They are guided to the nectar source by scent Salvia is plentiful as there are different types. and certain bright colours. Phlox are for cooler areas. Pentas in warmer areas. To be useful to butterflies, gardens have to be Clover in lawns will attract small blue butterflies, designed with an abundance of nectar plants, as will Lucerne and small pea flowers. spread out around the garden. A single plant Borage and Heliotrope can attract the Wanderer may become too crowded, as they all end and Lesser Wanderer butterflies. up on the same bush. Butterflies like to patrol Sedum which is a freely flowering succulent. an area, flitting from plant to plant or circling Keep in pots, easy to grow. small open areas among trees. Another haunt of butterflies is the sunny shallow soak or mud patch, and also warm stones and rocks in sheltered places. Plants that attract butterflies BUTTERFLY Butterflies generally favour plants that have CONSERVATION small multiple or composite flowers such as SA Inc. daisies and everlastings. It has been observed that where a native Australian plant is available C/- SA MUSEUM, butterflies prefer these plants over introduced North Terrace, plants. ADELAIDE. 5000 ‘Painted lady’ Vanessa kershawi photo: RHFisher S.AUSTRALIA BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION SA Inc. FACT SHEET Compositae (daisy) plants include: Meadow Argus (Junonia villida): Annuals such as Ageratum and *Erigeron a Herbaceous plants such as Goodenia garden fleabane which attracts skippers; Stokesia a and Scaevola. small herbaceous perennial with mauve flowers; Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa Dandelions grow well in abandoned lawns. kershawi): Compositae plants such as Arctotis, Aster, Osteospermum and Zinnia. everlasting daisies (Chrysocephalum semipapposum and Bracteantha bractea- Breeding garden butterflies tum). Australian Admiral (Vanessa itea): plants of the Butterflies need host plants to survive. These are nettle family (Parietaria sp.) the scrub nettle the plants on which eggs are laid and caterpillars (Urtica incisa), *stinging nettles, baby's tears and feed. They are not usually the nectar plants pellitory. required by adult butterflies. Many larvae use Wanderer (Danaus plexippus) and Lesser Wan- native grasses and sedges, mistletoe, or citrus derer (Danaus chrysippus): milk-weed plants and milkweed plants on which to feed. including the swan plant and *cotton-bushes. Native hosts for the latter are the native pears What plants currently occur in your garden, (Cynanchum and Marsdenia). property, road reserve, park or conservation Long-tailed Pea-blue (Lampides boeticus): reserve? Make a list of the plants including native and introduced pea-plants including grasses, herbaceous plants, bushes and trees. birdflower bushes (Crotalaria), scarlet runner (Kennedia), native verbines (Cullen), bush-peas, Observe what butterflies feed on the plants Sturt’s desert pea, cockies tongue (Templetonia), currently occurring in your garden and research Tall scurf pea (Cullen australasicum and Austral what butterflies have been known to occur in Trefoil (Lotus australis). your locality in the past. Find out what the Common Grass-blue (Zizina labradus): native requirements are for these butterflies to survive and introduced pea-plants including bush-peas, as a larva and as an adult? native verbines (Cullen or Psoralea) and Plan how to retain existing vegetation, (fencing it native lilac (Hardenbergia). off from animals if necessary) and make a list of Bitterbush Blue (Theclinesthes albocincta): the local providence butterfly host plants you could bitterbush (Adriana quadripartita var. klotzchii) in re-introduce to your property or reserve. Use coastal areas only. Male plants are best. alternatives to pesticides and talk to neighbours Saltbush Blue (Theclinesthes serpentata): salt about reducing their pesticide use. bushes (Atriplex and Rhagodia). Caper White (Belenois java) Caper bush Host-plants of urban butterflies (Capparis sp.). Some of the common urban butterflies and their Further information host plants are listed below. The plants marked with * are introduced species and invasive in the South Australian butterflies website—contains comprehensive list of SA butterflies and their host Adelaide area. Scientific names are in italics. plants. Regional lists also included. http://www.chariot.net.au/~rgrund/index.htm For more details of butterfly host plants including Butterfly Conservation SA Inc. Newsletters butterfly images consult Roger Grund’s website – Butterfly Gardening, Butterfly Conservation 1991- ‘Butterflies of South Australia’. Tim New How to attract Butterflies to your Garden - Orange Palm-dart (Cephrenes augiades): palms. Densey Clyne Southern Grass-dart (Ocybadistes walkeri) and Butterflies of South Australian 1978 - R.H.Fisher White-banded Grass-dart (Taractrocera Available from Libraries (out of print) papyria): leafy native and introduced grasses (that The complete field guide to Butterflies of Australia 2004 - M.Braby remain green over summer) growing in moist areas including rice grass (Microlaena) spear grasses (Austrostipa) and tussock grasses (Poa sp.). BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION SA Inc. Dingy Swallowtail (Papilio anactus): citrus trees, is a non-profit organisation comprised of particularly lemons and oranges. individuals interested in the conservation Cabbage White (Pieris rapae): plants containing of butterflies and their habitats. mustard oils such as nasturtiums. Anyone may join. Membership is $10 per Common Xenica (Geitoneura klugii) and annum payable on 1st July each year. Common Brown (Heteronympha merope): leafy BUTTERFLY introduced and native grasses including kangaroo Several newsletters are produced each year. grass (Themeda triandra), wallaby grass Newsletter articles promote the conservation CONSERVATION (Austrodanthonia sp.) and tussock grass (Poa sp.). of butterflies and include information on how SA Inc. Tailed Emperor (Polyura sempronius): you can help to preserve their native habitat. C/- SA MUSEUM, eastern states trees including Kurrajong and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: FACT SHEET 2 North Terrace, Illawarra Flame tree. Roger Grund, David Keane, Maria Johns and Jan Forrest ADELAIDE. 5000 2/07 S.AUSTRALIA .