Big Butterfly Count and Best Plants for Butterflies

The Big Butterfly Count 2022 is upon us! Working till seventh August, this nationwide citizen science challenge is a unbelievable method to assist our native butterflies while having a little bit of enjoyable within the course of. With numbers of a lot of our native species dwindling, it’s extra essential than ever to maintain tabs on their populations. Utilizing the information out of your sightings, conservationists can acquire a clearer image of how species are faring in numerous areas and habitats, which in flip helps to tell their conservation.

All you must do is decide a spot in your backyard or out and about the place you’re prone to see some butterflies. Sit for quarter-hour and jot down what number of of every species you see utilizing Butterfly Conservation’s helpful ID chart. It’s an ideal excuse to calm down for quarter-hour, a enjoyable challenge to do with the children, and a straightforward option to do your bit to assist out our butterflies of their hour of want. If you wish to do extra to assist butterflies, we’ve compiled our high suggestions for one of the best crops for butterflies under too. Let’s make this 12 months’s Big Butterfly Count as large because the RSPB’s Big Backyard Birdwatch!

Perhaps you’d wish to see some extra butterflies in your backyard? Listed below are a number of of our high suggestions for one of the best crops to draw butterflies to your backyard.

Best crops for attracting butterflies

Painted Girl butterfly on buddleja. Picture: Canva

• Buddleja – referred to as butterfly bush, buddleja will probably be a magnet for any butterflies within the space. Our well-known dwarf Buddleja Buzz® packs the identical punch while becoming in even the smallest backyard or patio!
• Verbena bonariensis – a hardworking herbaceous perennial that’s a staple of borders and naturalistic planting. Butterflies love drawing nectar from the tiny tubular flowers.
• Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) – a unbelievable addition to any wildflower meadow that’s a magnet for butterflies and bees alike, and is especially engaging to the gorgeous marbled white butterfly.
• Scabious (Knautia) – there are numerous varieties in a spread of sizes and colors to swimsuit any border, container or wildflower meadow. Field scabious is a UK native wildflower that’s nice for incorporating into any meadow and is beloved by butterflies.
• Lavender – it’s evergreen, it’s aromatic, it’s drought resistant and butterflies adore it – what extra cause do you must plant lavender? Cultivars of Lavandula x intermedia are one of the best of all for pollinators.
• Marjoram – in addition to being a useful culinary herb, marjoram is a superb all-rounder that’s beloved by an entire vary of pollinators.

Gatekeeper butterfly on marjoram. Picture: Canva

See our information to encourage butterflies into your backyard and our top 10 plants for butterflies for extra concepts.

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