Butterfly Heaven

Butterflies bring life, colour and movement to a garden. Follow these six steps to attract them and ensure that they return

- Lizette Jonker

Although they’re often thought of as pretty little jewels flitting around the garden, butterflies play an important role as pollinators. The only pollinator of the endangered red disa in the Western Cape is the mountain pride butterfly, without which, the disa would die out.

Unfortunately, as a result of urban development, many natural butterfly habitats have disappeared. Of South Africa’s 801 butterfly species, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has identified 205 species in the nine national botanical gardens.

The following were found in more than half the botanical gardens and these could possibly visit suburban gardens: African monarch, brownveined white, bush bronze, citrus swallowtail, common diadem, common dotted border, painted lady, garden acraea, African clouded yellow, African grass blue, African migrant, common Hottentot, common zebra blue, geranium bronze, meadow white, pea blue and yellow pansy. There might also be other butterflies endemic to your area that are not included here.

1 Include nectar-producing plants

As many flowering plants have been hybridised, they produce less or no nectar, which is another reason for dwindling butterfly numbers. Before buying plants, establish whether they are original species or hybrids.

To attract butterflies, group nectar-producing flowers together rather than dotting them around. Shrubs should be planted in groups of three to five. Butterflies prefer sun-loving plants and are often seen on the leaves warming themselves in the sun.