Contributed by Suzanne Wilson, Mooloolah Landcare Nursery
EVERYBODY loves to see butterflies flitting through their garden and resting on a flower or plant, but how do we encourage these beauties to be regular visitors?
Simply placing a shallow water tray with some pebbles for the butterflies to rest and drink from is a start.
Butterflies like flowers for nectar and seek out the correct host plants to lay their eggs and then feed the emerging caterpillars.
By planting the appropriate local Australian plants we are assisting this lifecycle.
The following is a variety of smaller Australian plants that will create habitat to provide both nectar for butterflies or food for the emerging caterpillars.
Small plants : Koala Bells, Mazus, Fan flowers, Native violets, Coleus, Yellow Buttons, Emu foot, Goodenias, Love Flowers, Native grasses – Kangaroo grass, Lomandra and Dianellas.
Shrubs : Bottlebrushes, Native indigo, Sago flower, Ziera,Coffee Bush,Native Plumbago, Native Senna, Palm Llilies, Native rosemary, Tea trees.
Vines: Hoya, Native sarsparilla, Kennedia.
Before you know it, you will find yourself spending more time outside enjoying the butterflies that visit.
You may even get to know some of their names – Blue Triangle, Orchard Swallowtail, Caper White, Fiery Jewel, Common Crow. and The Australian Painted Lady.
Some fast facts – Butterflies have excellent colour vision, they can even see colours invisible to humans like infra-red.
Look at Butterfly eggs through a hand lens or microscope, they are amazing.
Caterpillars moult several times in order to grow larger.
When a caterpillar is fully grown it changes into pupa/ Chrysalis.
Pupa / Chrysalis come in many colours including Gold Butterflies are good indictators of environmental health.
Around 160 different butterfly species have been recorded in the area.
But you are more likely to see 31 more common ones.
Before you squash that caterpillar on your plant remember it may turn into a beautiful butterfly.
For more information regarding what to plant or to join our “Gardens for Wildlife” visit Mooloolah River Landcare Nursery, you might even see some butterflies while you are there.