Food for caterpillars ??? (1 Viewer)

Thinking ahead to when it gets warm ....

I'm wondering if there are plants that will provide caterpillers as a food source for the garden birds ( especially the blue tits ).

There is quite a bit of ivy, the nettles and (most of) the brambles are left alone. There's lots of mature trees/shrubs & cover, but few herbaceous plants.

As it's a rented house we can't put a pond, and for the same reason - plants that will grow in planters are preferable.

The plants don't have to be pretty, as the planters can be tucked away !

Much thanks,

Hal

Nettles are the predominant food source for Small Tortoiseshells and I think the only food source for Red Admirals. Brassicas provide food for some butterflies. Personally if you've already got a nettle patch I'd look at increasing insects in general rather than just caterpillars. Try and use as many native plants as possible - bird's foot trefoil grows well in containers and attracts a lot of late insects. Herbs also grow well in containers and can be great at attracting insects.

Regards Richard

Hi Richard,

Excellent idea, much thanks,

Hal

Sounds like you have the right ideas and some promising plants already! Putting things into planters is a great idea...landlord shouldn't be able to complain then!
Herbs, as Richard has already said, are good...I used to have a herb 'garden' in my last place...we very rarely used the herbs for cooking and when they flowered they seemed to really attract the insects.
I've always been fond of Nasturtium plants...they must be the simplest things to grow...just poke the seeds into the soil where you want them to grow...and have attractive leaves which caterpillars (and blackfly!) love and loads of flowers...they prefer poor soil in a sunny spot and I always preferred the climbing and taller varieties rather than the small compact ones...they were far too small in my opinion! Also, as they seem to be a magnet for blackfly I found the numbers of hoverflies, lacewings and ladybirds in my garden shot up!
Other easily grown, attractive but wildlife magnets include pot marigolds(calendula), snapdragons(antirrhinum), poached egg plant(limnanthes),foxglove...all types but i prefer the smaller wild variety as opposed to the cultivated strains!
There are SO many plants which could be grown in pots, hanging baskets etc which will attract wildlife yet look attractive at the same time so you won't get complaints off the neighbours!
You are doing the right thing though by getting your plans sorted out now in the middle of winter instead of leaving them until spring...a lot of plants can be started off in pots on windowsills in February/early March...used to drive my husband mad LOL Pots everywhere for a few weeks until about early May!

GILL