How to Create a Butterfly Café in Your Garden
Warm summer weather brings a wonderful variety of butterflies and moths into our gardens. Watching them flutter between flowers is a beautiful sight, but our outdoor spaces can also provide valuable food and shelter.
More than half of the UK’s resident butterfly species are now experiencing long-term decline. Creating a small “butterfly café” is an easy and enjoyable way to help—and you do not need a large garden to get started.
What is a butterfly café?
A butterfly café is simply an area filled with plants and features that support butterflies and other pollinating insects.
It could be a sunny flower border, a group of patio pots, a window box or even an old pair of wellies filled with flowers. Just remember to add drainage holes before using unusual containers.
Choose nectar-rich flowers
Butterflies need nectar-rich flowers for food. Choose simple, open blooms that are easy to land on and try to provide flowers from spring through to autumn.
Good choices include:
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Lavender
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Verbena
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Marjoram
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Wallflowers
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Single-flowered marigolds
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Buddleja
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Sedum
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Chives and thyme
Plant several flowers of the same variety together, as this creates an easier-to-find source of nectar.
Pick a sunny, sheltered position
Butterflies rely on warmth from the sun and prefer feeding in sheltered locations.
Position your butterfly café somewhere that receives plenty of sunshine but is protected from strong winds. A warm border beside a hedge, fence or wall can work particularly well.
Remember the caterpillars
Flowers provide nectar for adult butterflies, but caterpillars need suitable leaves to eat.
Allowing a small patch of grass to grow longer or leaving some nettles in a quiet corner can support several butterfly species. Avoid cutting every part of the garden at once, as eggs, caterpillars and chrysalises may be sheltering among the plants.
Provide fresh water
Add a shallow saucer containing fresh water and a few stones where butterflies and other insects can land safely.
Change the water regularly and keep the dish shallow. Avoid deep, open containers that could present a risk to smaller wildlife.
Avoid pesticides
Pesticides can harm butterflies, caterpillars and other beneficial insects. Avoid using them around your butterfly café and encourage a healthy mix of wildlife to help keep the garden naturally balanced.
Get creative with your display
Your butterfly café can be as colourful and creative as you like.
Fill old wellies, recycled containers, window boxes or decorative pots with nectar-rich flowers. Combine different heights, colours and flowering periods to create an attractive display that provides food throughout the season.
Welcome more butterflies into your garden
Even a few well-chosen plants can make a difference. Visit the plant department at Coletta & Tyson Garden Centre in Woodmansey, near Beverley and Hull, to explore our seasonal selection of pollinator-friendly plants.
You may even spot a few butterflies among the flowers and discover which varieties they prefer.