It is not hard work and does not have to cost a fortune to transform your garden, or even the terrace of your apartment, into a haven for butterflies.  The Var Reporter's Wildlife & Nature correspondent, Peter Tunbridge, explains how to go about it.

The spectacular "Flambé"

In order to have resident butterflies in your garden, rather than just the occasional visitor, you need to create a habitat which favours every part of the insect’s life cycle. Different species of butterfly and their caterpillars feed from different plants, so the more diversity you introduce, the more butterflies you will attract.

Butterflies’ wings are fragile so it is a good idea to plan your butterfly garden around existing walls, hedges or trees which will act as wind breaks.  Patches of ivy and old logs provide ideal places for egg laying and for caterpillars to shelter when they are ready to pupate.

Sun & Water

If you are starting your butterfly garden from scratch, take a moment to think about watering systems.  Sprinklers make the flowers wet and can dilute the nectar, so it is preferable to use drip hoses.  If you are watering manually, water the foot of the plant, rather than the flowers.

Butterflies like the sun, so the sunnier your garden or terrace, the better.  If you do not have good exposition, do not despair: certain butterflies do prefer shady, wooded areas and, provided you create the right conditions, they will still come.

Pesticides

It might sound obvious, but it would be a pity to attract butterflies into your garden, only to inadvertently poison them, so the use of weed killers and chemical pesticides should be avoided.  Placing chippings around plants will help keep weeds down and most garden centres stock a range of alternative organic gardening products.

“Puddling”

Butterflies need access to water. This can be achieved by burying buckets or bowls so that the tops are level with the ground.  Fill them with sand or mud and add salted water to some and stale beer to others, so that you are left with several damp patches which you will need to “top up” as they dry out. 

In a behaviour which is called “puddling”, young male butterflies will congregate in these areas.  It is thought they are attracted to the mineral salts and certain species will also feed on overripe fruit so you could, for example, add a handful of chopped, ripe banana to some of the puddles.

Placing light-coloured flat stones or wooden boards around your chosen spot will provide places for butterflies to sun themselves.

Go "wild"

Butterflies are attracted to certain colours and tend to favour disordered gardens, with broad swathes of purple, red and yellow flowers, rather than  neatly regimented rows and small groupings of plants.  Try to avoid plants which have been highly cultivated: insects in general prefer plants which are close to the wild state and, if possible, it is a good idea to keep an area of your garden “wild”, just cutting it back and digging it over in the winter, but otherwise leaving it to grow naturally, with a minimum of interference, other than occasional watering.

You will probably find that wild plants appear all on their own but, if you want to hurry things along,  it is possible to buy packets of wild flower seeds from most garden centres - sometimes they are specifically marked “for butterflies”. Wild plants are generally sown directly onto the soil and, compared to cultivated varieties, need a minimum of care and attention.  They will provide food and shelter for caterpillars and nectar for adult butterflies.

Choosing Plants

It is thought that as well as using vision, butterflies locate their favourite food sources by sense of smell, so planting aromatic plants such as mint, rosemary, fennel, chives, tarragon, basil, thyme and verbena, or even keeping a cluster of potted plants on your terrace is an excellent way of encouraging them into your garden.

One plant particularly associated with butterflies, is “the butterfly tree” - Buddleia.  However, this plant is classed as an invasive species in France so, instead, consider planting a mixture of annual and perennial plants with different flowering periods in order to maximise the different species you attract and ensure that you will have butterflies in your garden from spring right through to late summer.

The more diverse your choice of garden plants, the more species of butterflies you will attract.  Certain plants are known to attract certain species.  The Flambé (photo above) finds lilac irresistable, while its caterpillar feeds on Valeriane.  Planting both in your garden will maximise your chances of making the acquaintance of this species.

Belle de Nuit will not only surround your terraces with a night-time display of beautiful, fragrant flowers but will also encourage a delightful night visitor called Moro sphinx which resembles a tiny hummingbird.  In addition to the plants already mentioned in the above article, below is a mixture of wild and cultivated plants which you might like to consider (French names in brackets):   

    Red Campion (Compagnon rouge)
    Daisy (Marguerite)
    Delphinium (Pied d’Alouette)
    Hollyhock (Rose Trémière)
    Honeysuckle (Chèvrefeuille)
    Lavendar (Lavande)
    Lilac (Lilas)
    Pansy (Pensée)
    Sedum (Orpin)
    Stinging Nettles (Ortie dioïque)
    Violet  (Violette)
    Yarrow (Achillée-millefeuille)
    Zinnia (Zinnia)

Wildlife Haven

Bear in mind that bees and other insects will also be attracted to your plants, so do not position your butterfly garden too close to swimming pools, children’s play areas or dining areas.

Once your butterfly garden is established, you can also expect to see more birds and small animals, so you will be providing a haven for all kinds of wildlife.

For more information and photos of the butterflies you are likely to encounter in the Var, see: http://www.lepinet.fr

(With thanks to Patricia Edwards, The Var Reporter's Mediterranean Garden correspondent, for her help and advice on this article, which first appeared in the June/July 2007 issue of The Var Supplement).

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