Why garden needs a butterfly house

To help the butterflies visit your garden, consider installing a butterfly house.

By Our Gardens Matter

Butterfly houses provide a safe and welcoming environment for butterflies to rest. Plus, you can support and encourage the presence of these beautiful creatures in your garden.

Butterflies that overwinter do not hibernate; instead, they enter a state of dormancy during the winter months. They typically seek out dry, dark, and cool areas such as garages, attics, sheds, or outhouses to rest through the cold season. You may often find Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies in these spaces.

There are 59 species of butterflies in the UK, with a couple of visitors from Europe. However, certain species have specific habitat requirements, such as chalk downland or coppiced woodland, which make them less common in domestic gardens.

Some of the most popular butterfly species that visit our gardens include the Large White and Small White, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, and Small Tortoiseshell. We can support the resident butterfly population and attract rarer species to our gardens by creating wildlife-friendly areas and strategically planting flower beds.

Hang your butterfly house in a sunny, sheltered spot, about four to six feet above the ground. Place it near nectar-rich flowers like lavender and sedum to provide additional food sources for the butterflies.