Butterflies

I am committed to creating an environment that will attract butterflies to the garden. They add beauty and magic and, on the practical side, help pollinate plants.

In order to create an environment for butterflies the garden should also take into account food for the catapillar. Butterflies and their catapillars are dependent upon different plants. The favorite food of the Australia Painted Lady caterpillar, for example, is the commom everlasting daisy. The best means of attracting a broad variety of butterflies is to have a diversity of flowering garden plants. Different species have different colour preferences.

Butterflies are migratory and generally on the wing between spring and autumn. Some of the large butterflies, however, semi-hibernate during the winter months and can sometimes be seen on warm winter days in the garden.

The pond forms part of the environment designed to attract butterflies. The shallow wet areas provide a place for the butterflies to drink. Unmown grass areas are recommended for catapillars and paved areas provide a space for the butterflies to bask in the sun before they take to wing.

Small tubular flowers are the best nectar providers. Meadow Argus likes fairy fan flower Scaevola.

I photographed the yellow admiral above as it sat on the fence while I was paving in the vegetable garden. The Caper White (left) migrates through the ACT and was photgraphed in the garden 31 October.