I promised that today’s blog would be a butterfly blog, but what a strange time to do it – there’s hardly a butterfly to be seen at the moment.The reason is that we’re in the ‘June lull’. The spring butterflies are largely over, and the summer ones are yet to emerge.But of course, while the adults may be nowhere to be seen, the butterflies are still out there, only in less obvious forms – eggs, caterpillars and, for many of them by now, chrysalises.And there lies one of the big challenges of gardening for butterflies. If all you do is provide nectar for the adults, then you are relying on some other garden or part of the countryside to be the breeding ground. Yes, you're leaving success in someone else's hands!
Actually producing some home-grown butterflies is the gold medal performance – but requires more skill than just providing nectar plants.So here’s one plant for almost* all gardens to try and get butterflies breeding – Hop Humulus lupulus This is a main foodplant of Comma caterpillars. It’s easy to grow, and will scramble vigorously up a high trellis or into a tree happily in a season, before dying down to ground level for the winter. It's also easy to grow from tip cuttings, so you can share it with neighbours and friends.The result?
This (note designed to look like a bird dropping - cunning!).
And then this.
Glorious!
(*Sorry, Scotland - Commas are still rather rare up in your neck of the woods)
I did a quick search on the internet and there were a number of photographs of the Comma Butterfly pictured on a Golden Hop, I couldn’t find any information about their preferences but I think it’s worth a try.
As luck would have it I think there was a Comma butterfly in the garden yesterday, it moved a little fast and didn’t settle so I’m not completely sure. I shall be keeping my eye on the hop for caterpillars, they are quite beautiful.
Hi Wildlife Friendly
I think it likely that Golden Hop (Humulus lupulus aureus) works just as well (it's the same species after all) but I don't have proof of that yet, so I'm trying both in the garden at the moment.
If anyone has evidence of Commas on the Golden, I'd be delighted to know! (It is Golden featured in my photo above, by the way.)
The “June lull” is quite a relief to learn about, there is a distinct lack of butterflies in my garden, I thought I’d been concentrating too much on bee friendly flowers or the cold winter had killed those in hibernation.
Is the Golden hop as attractive to the Comma butterfly? I have wild hops growing at the bottom of the orchard where they can romp away, I did introduce it into the garden but found it far too vigorous for even a large garden. The Golden hop is more controllable so could be grown in any sized garden, it looks better too.