This year we have teamed up with Butterfly Conservation to promote the preservation of Butterflies and Moths - in direct response to the reported 40% decline in numbers across the UK in 2024. 

Butterflies and moths are sensitive indicators of the health of our environment.
Wondering where all the butterflies have gone? You're not alone.

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In 2024, we've seen butterfly numbers fall across the UK. With 80% of butterflies having declined since the 1970s and a third of moth numbers having fallen in that same period.
So here at Guildford in Bloom we are encouraging themed entries to the 2025 Competitions, adding elements to your garden or plot that create perfect conditions for butterflies and moths to thrive.

How to theme your entry
Judges will be looking for the following elements in your garden or plot:
•    Grow  plants that butterflies and moths love, feed on, over winter in and thrive on.
•    Create habitats for caterpillars to pupate and over winter.
•    Add decorations - lets promote habitats for Butterflies and Moths by making it obvious that we are doing our bit.

Lots of useful information can be found on our blog page

Five top plants you can grow for butterflies and moths:

1. Bird’s-foot trefoil. 
   How to grow: Can be grown from seed and available as small plants (known as plug plants). Grows well in pots or amongst grasses
   Sun/Shade: Full sun
   Soil type: Likes nutrient-poor, well-drained soil
   Flowering time: May – September

2. Wild Marjoram
   How to grow: Can be grown from seed in the spring, or young plants are available in the spring and summer.
   Sun/Shade: Full sun or partial shade
   Soil type: Well-drained soil preferred
   Flowering time: July – September

3. Honeysuckle
   How to grow: Grows naturally in woodlands and hedgerows. Can be grown from seed or using a technique known as ‘layering’, where a partially buried stem can grow roots and eventually become a new plant.
   Sun/Shade: Prefers partial shade but will tolerate full sun.
   Soil type: Moist but well-drained soil
   Flowering time: June – September

4. Knapweed
   How to grow: Can be grown from seed. Grows well in meadows and other grassy places, including road verges.
   Sun/Shade: Full sun or partial shade
   Soil type: Moist but well-drained soil
   Flowering time: June to September

5. Dandelion
   How to grow: Often found growing naturally but can be grown in pots.
   Sun/Shade: Full sun or partial shade
   Soil type: All soil types
   Flowering time: March – October
   
   Other plants popular with Butterflies - especial in the summer are: Buddleia, Verbena bonariensis, Lavendar, Perennial Wallflower (Bowles Mauve), Margoram - 
   More information can be found on the Butterfly Conservation website

Other things you can do:

• Let your grass grow long!
  Letting parts of your garden grow wild with long grass can increase butterfly numbers by up to 93% and attract a wider range of species. That was the conclusion of a Butterfly Conservation study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Find out more HERE

• Create a leaf pile
  Lots of different butterflies and moths spend the winter nestled among leaf litter, usually in the form of a caterpillar or a chrysalis. The leaves give them shelter from the freezing weather as well as helping to keep them safe from predators. Find out more HERE

• Think about moths
  Download your free guide to moths and light pollution HERE: 

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Tips on how to attract butterflies:

• Butterflies like warmth so choose sunny, sheltered spots when planting nectar plants.

• Choose different plants to attract a wider variety of species. Place the same types of plant together in blocks.

• Try to provide flowers right through the butterfly season. Spring flowers are vital for butterflies coming out of hibernation and autumn flowers help butterflies build up their reserves for winter.

• Prolong flowering by deadheading flowers, mulching with organic compost, and watering well to keep the plants healthy. 

• Don't use insecticides and pesticides - they kill butterflies and many pollinating insects as well as ladybirds, ground beetles and spiders.

• Don't buy peat compost. Peat bogs are home to many special animals and plants, including the Large Heath butterfly, which is declining across Europe. There are now good alternatives to peat available from garden centres.

Thank you to Butterfly Conservation for all their help in providing information for our theme - you can find  more information on their  website  https://butterfly-conservation.org

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