Advice on how to attract butterflies

To link in with the national Big Butterfly Count from July 17 until August 9, www.potterandrest.co.uk will be offering free advice on encouraging the friendly insects.

Peter Burks, Horticultural Expert at www.potterandrest.co.uk, said: “We believe supporting the Big Butterfly Count is extremely important so we’ve decided to put together free advice and tips for gardeners wanting to attract the insects to their gardens.

“Butterflies and moths are very important to allotment holders, gardeners and smallholders because, as they feed on flower nectar, they transfer pollen on their bodies and legs from one plant to another.

“During the week people will be able to visit our blog section on our website and find out more about the insects themselves, the importance of them, some fun facts and what plants they can use to help attract them.”

The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide survey aimed at helping assess the health of the environment. It was launched in 2010 and has become the world’s biggest survey of butterflies.

More than 44,000 people took part in 2014, counting almost 560,000 individual butterflies and day-flying moths across the UK. There are around 24,000 species of butterflies. Moths are even more numerous and about 140,000 species exist all over the world.

Buddleia, lavender, echinacea and sweet william are just some of the butterfly’s favourite food plants. They also prefer pink, yellow, red or purple single petal flowers.

The free advice will be available in the blog section of www.potterandrest.co.uk from Friday, July 17.

www.potterandrest.co.uk aims to be the largest ‘true’ garden centre online with free expert advice available to gardeners via telephone and social media backed by a five-year plant guarantee.

There is an emphasis on British grown plants and products wherever possible and some of the products and plant collections are not currently available in other garden centres in the real or virtual world.

The e-garden centre hopes to appeal to all levels of gardeners from complete novices to keen amateurs and on to expert gardeners.

For further details, please visit www.potterandrest.co.uk, call 01278 440500 or email [email protected].

Report and picture contributed by Sarah Johnstone.