GARDENING AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019 89
BACKYARD VISITORS
B
utterfliesneedasourceofnectar,anegg-layingsiteandgood
sunlighttothriveandreproduce.Oneofthebestplantsforyour
gardenthatwillattractbutterfliesfromfarandwideisbuddleja,
especiallyvarietieswithdeeppurpleorblueflowers.Lavenders
arealsogoodbutterflyattractors,asaredaisybushes.Whiletheseplants
providebutterflieswithnectar,theydon’tgivethemanywheretolaytheir
eggs,soconsidercateringforthisaswellwhenchoosingplantsforyour
garden,toencouragebutterfliestostaylongerandincreasetheirnumbers.
Smallerdaisies–particularlynativeones–provideegg-layingsites
forpaintedladyandmeadowargus(Junoniavillida,above)butterflies.For
gardenerswholikeunusualteasorsaladgreens,nativeandintroduced
stingingnettlesareagoodchoice,too,becausetheyattracttheAustralian
admiralbutterfly.Theintroducedwandererbutterfly(alsoknownasthe
monarchbutterfly)andthenativelesserwandererbutterflyfeedonvarious
membersofthemilkweedfamily–severaloftheseareweeds,butothers,
suchasAsclepiascurassavicaandsomeofthestapelias,behavethemselves
andmakeattractivegardenplants.
Thehugeorchardbutterfliesarehappywithalmostanytypeofcitrus.
Mandarinandcumquataregreatoptions,astheyalsogiveyoulots of fruit
toeat.Lemonsaregood,too,althoughyoucanonlyeatsomanylemons!
Therearemanybutterflyspeciesyoucanattracttoyourgarden to breed,
andmosthavearestrictedrangeoffoodplantstheywilllayeggson. Most
stateshavetheirowninsectsocietieswithinformationonbutterfly gardens
andwhattoplant.Contactthemtofindoutmoreaboutplantsthatwilllook
prettyandbringflutteringentertainmentintoyourgarden,yearafteryear. GA
MartyngardensmainlyonSydney’sNorthernBeaches
Haveyoufoundsomethinginterestingin your
garden?Sendusa photoandMartynwill ID it.
[email protected]
with‘Creature’inthesubjectline.
WHAT
ON
EARTH?
Orchard
swallowtail
butterfly
Papilio aegeus
Butterflies aredrawntoparticular
plantsfornectarandbreeding,
saysMARTYNROBINSON
law of attraction
and fi nger lime as well as introduced citrus.
Planting citrus trees will encourage these
beautiful butterfl ies to visit your garden and
help to maintain this species in urban areas.
The early breeding of our swallowtails is
a sign that climate change is infl uencing the
life cycles of plants and animals. Scientists
are monitoring these processes, and are
calling on the public to help by recording
sightings of swallowtails and other species
using the free ClimateWatch app.
Len gardens in the Northern Rivers,
New South Wales