The English Cottage Garden Nursery
Plant nectar-rich plants and you will never be without butterflies or moths! In fact, plant a cottage garden with loads of herbs and wildflowers as well as more traditional plants and they'll love you for it! Plant as many as possible in sunny areas and include a Buddleia Bush or two for maximum butterfly appeal! To maximise moth appeal, plant flowers in particular that open at night or are white. Provide food plants as well for butterfly and moth caterpillars.
A nettle patch in a discreet part of the garden is also a must as it is important for certain caterpillar species of butterflies such as the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock. Cut the patch back by half in mid-summer to provide new shoots for the mid-summer brood of caterpillars.
Most important of all if you wish to attract butterflies (or any other wildlife for that matter) is to avoid the use of pesticides.
Agrimony (agrimonia eupatoria) - Grizzled Skipper
Angelica (angelica archangelica)- Swallowtail
Anise Hyssop (agastache foeniculum)
Betony - Speckled Yellow
Basil Mint
Bird's Foot Trefoil (lotus corniculatus) - Common Blue, Adonis, Grizzled Skipper, Chalk Hill Blue, Clouded Yellow, Dingy Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Marbled White, Pale Clouded Yellow, Short-tailed Blue, Silver Spotted Skipper, Wood White, Short-tailed Blue, Silver Spotted Skipper, Wood White, Small Pearl, Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Brown Argus
Bladder Campion (silene vulgaris)
Bluebell (hyacinthoides non-scriptus) - Brimstone, Pearl bordered Fritillary
Broom (cytisus scoparius) - Silver Studded Blue, Green Hairstreak
Bugle (ajuga repens) - Wood White, Orange Tip, Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary, Duke of Burgundy Fritillary
Buddleia - Brimstone, Peacock, White, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Red Admiral
Cornflower (centaurea cyanus)
Corn Marigold (chrysanthemum segetum) - Chalk Hill Blue
Cowslip (primula veris) - Duke of Burgundy Fritillary
Dog Violet - Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Silver-washed Fritillary
Fennel (foeniculum vulgare) - Swallowtail
Field Scabious (knautia arvensis) - Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Marbled White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell
Forget-me-not
Foxglove - Heath Fritillary
Fox and Cubs (hieracium aurantiacum) _ Grizzled Skipper
Germander Speedwell (veronica chamaedrys) - Spotted Fritillary
Globe Thistle (echinops ritro)
Greater Knapweed (centaurea scabiosa) - Comma, Small Skipper, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis Blue, Dark Green Fritillary, Meadow Brown, Marbled White, Essex Skipper, Silver Spotted Skipper, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Peacock, Common Silverwashed Fritillary, Grayling, Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell
Greater Stitchwort (stellaria holostea)
Guelder Rose (viburnum opulus)
Gypsywort
Hawthorn (cratageous monogyna) - Duke of Burgundy
Hemp Agrimony (agrimonia cannabinum) - Peacock, Comma
Hollyhock (althae rosea)
Honesty (lunaria annua) - Orange Tip
Honeysuckle (periclymenon)
Hyssop (hyssopus officinalis)
Ice Plant (sedum spectabile) - Tortoiseshell
Joe Pye Weed (eupatoria purpureum)
Kidney Vetch (anthyllis vulneraria) - Small Blue
Lady's Bedstraw (gallium verum)
Lady's Smock (cardamine pratensis) - Orange Tip, Green-veined White
Lesser Knapweed (centaurea nigra) - Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Comma, Silver-washed Fritillary, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Silver Spotted Skipper, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis
Maltese Cross (lychnis chalcedonia)
Marjoram (majorana origanum) - Yellow Skipper, Small Copper, Large Blue, Chequered Skipper, Large Heath, Scotch Angus
Marshmallow (althea officinalis) - Painted Lady
Meadow Cranesbill (geranium pratense) - Northern Brown Argus
Apple Mint - Gatekeeper, Small Tortoiseshell
Meadow Cranesbill (geranium pratense) - Northern Brown Argus
Musk Mallow (malva moschata) - Mallow Skipper, Painted Lady
Nasturtium
Oak (quercus robur) - Purple Hairstreak
Ox-eye Daisy (leucanthemum vulgare)
Oxlip
Painted Sage (salvia horminum)
Perennial Flax (linum perenne)
Pinks
Pleurisy Root (asclepius tuberosa) - Monarch, Swallowtail
Poppy (papaver)
Primrose (primula vulgaris) - Duke of Burgundy Fritillary
Purple Loosestrife (lythrum salicaria)
Purple-top Vervain (verbena bonariensis)
Ragged Robin (lychnis flos-cuculi) - White, Common Blue, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Red Clover (trifolium pratense) - Pale Clouded Yellow, Clouded Yellow, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Painted Lady
Red Hot Poker (kniphofia)
Red Valerian (centranthus ruber) - Small Tortoiseshell
Restharrow (ononis repens) - Lulworth Skipper, Silver-studded Blue
Rock Rose (helianthemum mummularium) - Green Hairstreak, Silver Studded Blue, Northern Brown Argus
Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis)
Salsify (tragopogon porrifolius) - Marbled Fritillary
Sea Holly (eryngium maritimum
Selfheal (prunella vulgaris
Sloe/Blackthorn (prunus spinosa) - Brown Hairstreak, Small Tortoiseshell, Swallowtail
Small Scabious (scabiosa columbaria) - Brimstone, Red Admiral, Comma, Painted Lady, Peacock, Adonis, Marbled White, Blue
Soapwort (saponaria officinalis)
St John's Wort (hypercium perforatum) - Purple Cloud
Sweet Rocket (hesperis matronalis) - Orange Tip, Green-veined White
Sweet Violet (viola odorata) - Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Silverwashed Fritillary
Sweet William (dianthus barbatus)
Teasel (dipsacus fullonum) - Common Blue, Small Copper, Common Skipper
Thrift (armeria maritima) - Granville Fritillary
Thyme (thymus) - Wall Brown, Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Adonis, Small Copper
Toadflax (linaria vulgaris) - Spotted Fritillary
Vervain (verbena officinalis)
Vetch - Dingy Skipper
Viper's Bugloss (echium vulgare) - Painted Lady, Wood White
Weld (reseda luteola) - Small White, Bath White
Wild Basil (clinopodium vulgare)
Wild Marjoram - Wall Brown, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Lulworth Skipper, Gatekeeper, Hedge Brown Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Small Copper
Wild Mignonette (reseda lutea) - Bath White, Cabbage White, Orange Tip, Small White
Wild Strawberry (fragaria vesca) - Grizzled Skipper
Wild Wallflower - Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell
Blackthorn - Brown Hairstreak, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone
Rowan - Brimstone
Wild Privet (ligustrum vulgare) - Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Hedge Brown, Ringlet