Plants for a butterfly-friendly garden:

WILDFLOWERS
CLIMBERS & TWINERS
SHRUBS
GROUNDCOVERS
TREES
SEDGES AND RUSHES
GRASSES

There are 24 species of butterflies in the Melbourne region - more than half of these are regularly seen in the inner city. Some species are threatened by habitat removal - you can play your part in preserving habitat by butterfly gardening.

Adult butterflies need lots of nectar-rich flowers to drink from. Specific plants are required as hosts for caterpillars to hatch on and to eat. Caterpillars of some species will feed on introduced plants, but the vast majority require native plants as hosts.

Choose plants that produce large masses of flowers - easier for the butterflies to find than single blooms. Butterflies are generally active on warm sunny days in Spring, Summer & Autumn. A range of plants flowering in different seasons create a constant food source for adult butterflies.

Many Australian caterpillars are small, shy, even nocturnal. There may be no evidence of them in the garden (most caterpillar damage in gardens is caused by the exotic pest, the White Cabbage Butterfly caterpillar).