Plants To Add To Your Garden For Caterpillars

Jun

Most gardeners don't appreciate caterpillars because they think the caterpillar will munch through all of their young plants and vegetables. But if you want to increase wildlife numbers visiting your garden, you are going to have to do something to invite these little beauties in. Caterpillars are simply baby moths and butterflies, if you want to see more moths and butterflies you'll have to embrace their babies.

There are around 59 species of butterfly in England and 2,500 moths species. As their habitat declines so do their numbers.

Caterpillars have got a bad reputation because of a few species who like to eat a lot of vegetation, the large white butterflies being one of them. But generally they eat very little of the food plants they are found on, they also don't leave the plants looking too ragged as it will attract the attention of their predators.

Caterpillars prefer feeding on one particular species (group) of plants, compared to slugs who will give anything ago.

Because of this they prevent any one plant species from becoming too dominant in the garden, which helps to create a balanced ecosystem. They also serve as prey for other species, such as hedgehogs, birds and bats, who will keep the caterpillar numbers under control for you.

One of the best ways to encourage caterpillars into your garden is to go a little wild and plant native species that they can feed on.

Here are some of the top plants caterpillars enjoy:

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus)
This will attract large white (Pieris brassicae), small white (Pieris rapae) and green-veined white (Pieris napi) butterflies.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
This will attract the scarlet tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula).

Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
This will attract, common blue (Polyommatus icarus), and the green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi).

Sweet bedstraw (Galium species)
This will attract, hummingbird hawk-moths (Macroglossum stellatarum), red twin-spot carpet (Xanthorhoe spadicearia) butterfly, and the barred straw (Gandaritis pyraliata) moth.

Hops (Humulus lupulus)
This will attract comma, currant pug (Eupithecia assimilata), buttoned snout (Hypena rostralis), buff ermine (Spilosoma lutea), and the pale tussock (Calliteara pudibunda).

Willows (Salix species)
This will attract, sallow kitten (Furcula furcula), poplar hawk-moth (Laothoe populi), puss moth (Cerura vinula), herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix), and the red underwing (Catocala nupta).

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
This will attract, brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae), blue-bordered carpet (Plemyria rubiginata), peppered moth (Biston betularia), and the chinese character (Cilix glaucata).

Hawthorn (Crataegus Monogyna)
This will attract, swallow-tailed moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria), brimstone moth (Opisthograptis luteolata), and feathered thorn (Colotois pennaria).

Oaks (deciduous, native Quercus species)
This will attract, purple hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus), merveille du jour (Griposia aprilina), and the oak beauty (Biston strataria).

Lime (Tilia species)
This will attract, orange sallow (Tiliacea citrago) and the lime hawkmoth (Mimas tiliae).

Grasses
This will attract, skippers (Thymelicus sylvestris), marbled white (Melanargia galathea), meadow brown (Maniola jurtina), gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus), and speckled wood (Pararge aegeria).

Nettles (Urtica dioica)
This will attract red admirals (Vanessa atalanta), commas (Polygonia c-album), peacocks (Aglais io), and small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) butterflies. Also, mother of pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis), burnished brass (Diachrysia chrysistis), Jersey tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaris), beautiful golder Y (Autographa pulchrina), spectacle (Abrostola tripartita), and the snout or grass moths.