Do Butterflies Like Stinging Nettles?

‘Nettles are the food plant for the caterpillars of red admiral, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and comma butterflies. ‘It’s important to treat your nettles like any other garden plant if you are growing for the benefit of butterflies. Cut them regularly to get good fresh growth from the nettles. ‘

Do nettles sting butterflies?

Stinging nettles will attract five colourful species of butterfly but you need to manage the area so they don’t take over the garden. Stinging nettles need nutrient-rich soil and should be cut back in June or July to stimulate new shoots to grow, providing more food for caterpillars.

What plant attracts butterflies the most?

For butterflies, Joe-Pye weed, ironweed, coneflowers, goldenrod, and brightly-hued asters are nectar-filled favorites. A monarch caterpillar feasting on milkweed.

What butterflies live on nettles?

‘Nettles are the food plant for the caterpillars of red admiral, small tortoiseshell, painted lady and comma butterflies.

Do butterflies lay eggs on stinging nettles?

The Peacock butterfly lays its eggs in batches on the leaves of Stinging Nettles.

What do you put in a butterfly garden?

Butterflies feed on tubular flowers and they especially love those with “landing strips.” Yarrow, stonecrop, coneflower, verbena, phlox, butterfly bush, butterfly weed (Asclepias), bee balm, cardinal flower (Lobelia), coreopsis, black-eyed Susan, Joe Pye weed, pentas, and various asters and sedums can keep your garden

How do I encourage butterflies in my garden?

How to attract butterflies to your garden

1. Butterflies are a common sight in gardens, but several species are in decline as they battle habitat loss.
2. Provide food.
3. Create warmth.
4. Think about your area.
5. Maximise window boxes.
6. Leave fallen fruit on the ground.
7. Cut down on weeding.
8. Avoid pesticides.

What smells are butterflies attracted to?

Apricot, cherry, plum, apple, and crab apple trees are attractive to pollinators in the spring. A sweet acacia tree in your bee and butterfly garden will add interest and a heady scent. The yellow flowers on the acacia tree pop out in early spring to lure bees and butterflies in.

How do you grow nettles for butterflies?

Buy cheap tubtrugs, make a few drainage holes in the base, then fill with fertile soil and plant with local nettles. Place in sun to light shade and, if space allows, group a few tubs together as butterflies prefer large sunny patches of nettles.

When should nettles be cut down?

The best time to cut nettles for a liquid plant fertiliser is early spring, as this is when the nitrogen content is at its highest. To ensure that the butterfly larvae are not disturbed it is best to cut in March and again (if you want to) in October.

Are nettles good for pollinators?

Nevertheless, stinging nettle is a host plant for a number of butterfly and moth species. It also provides great perennial habitat for a wide range of other beneficial pollinators and predatory insects, from native bees to parasitoid wasps.

What caterpillars feed on stinging nettles?

The Small Tortoiseshell is one of our most widespread butterfly species. It hibernates in the UK and can be seen from early spring to autumn, making it a popular garden visitor. The caterpillars feed on nettles, preferably growing in a sunny spot.

Do caterpillars get stung by nettles?

The Stinging nettle caterpillar is about an inch in length, has a dark stripe down its back and is covered in very light-colored venomous spines and hairs. When you brush up against the nettle caterpillar, the spines sting, leaving red, inflamed itchy welts.

Which insects lay eggs on nettles?

Butterflies and moths generally lay their eggs in the centre of a nettle patch so the outer plants will be fine for us to eat. Nettles are incredibly rich in iron, folates and other minerals as well as tasting great when made into a soup.

Do butterflies like banana peels?

The riper, the better. We don’t think of bananas as “juicy”, but as they ripen, they become softer and easier for butterflies to ingest. Rather than throwing out those rotting bananas on your counter, slice them open and offer them to the butterflies in your garden.

Should you cut back a butterfly bush every year?

Butterfly bushes do not need to be pruned every year. In fact, you only need to prune them when they get too large for the space allotted. But since butterfly bushes only bloom on new growth many gardeners prune them severely each spring to encourage lots of new growth and lots of flowers.

How do you make an outdoor butterfly habitat?

WHAT YOU’LL DO TO MAKE A MONARCH BUTTERFLY HABITAT

1. BUY AND PLANT MILKWEED SEEDS OR A PLANT.
2. AFTER SIX WEEKS OR SO, INSPECT YOUR MILKWEED PLANTS FOR SIGNS OF MONARCH ACTIVITY (time may vary depending on where you live).
3. PREPARE THE PROTECTED PLANT.
4. SURROUND YOUR PLANT WITH THE TOMATO CAGE OR FENCING.

What do butterflies not like?

They can’t pick up lower frequencies, thus they are blind to the color red for example. This doesn’t mean butterflies wouldn’t pollinate red flowers. In fact as a general rule butterflies prefer flowers that are white, pink, purple, red, yellow and orange. Least favorite colors are blue and green.

Which butterflies lay eggs on nettles?

Small tortoiseshell, red admiral and peacock butterflies do all lay their eggs on nettles and the caterpillars therefore eat the leaves, plus comma and painted lady will sometimes use them although they have other preferences – comma prefers hops and painted lady, thistles.

Do butterflies like honey?

There are many types of food that will feed butterflies well. Fruit juice, 15% honey water, 15% sugar water, or Gatorade are the easiest for us.

Why do butterflies land on you?

The scientific reason a butterfly lands on you
If you find a butterfly coming down to rest on your arm, it’s probably just looking for salt. According to Animal Corner, there is a belief that butterflies landing on you will bring you good luck, but, in all likelihood, they’re simply attracted to your sweat.