Skeleton leaves
Peacock, red admiral, small
tortoiseshell, and comma
butterflies all lay their eggs
on nettle leaves. The
caterpillars eat so much,
they make the nettles
look like skeletons!
Red admiral resting
in the sunshine
ATTRACTING
BUTTERFLIES
By choosing plants that
caterpillars like to eat you
can attract butterflies into your
garden. Try planting some nettles
in a sunny spot by a wall or
corner. How many different
butterflies can you spot?
Wear gloves when planting
nettles—they can sting.
Fast feeders
Elephant hawk-moth caterpillars eat
plenty of leaves and flowers in their
short lives. They do much of their
feeding at night, but may eat garden
plants such as fuchsias during the day.
If disturbed, they swell up the front of
their body like a big balloon.
US_048-049_In_the_garden.indd 49 11/10/17 5:49 pm