UKButterflies Larval Foodplants website page lists the larval foodplants used by British butterflies. The name of each foodplant links to a Google search. An indication of whether the foodplant is a primary or secondary food source is also given.

Please note that the Butterfly you see for only a short time has grown up on plants as an egg, caterpillar and chrysalis for up to 11 months, before becoming a butterfly. If the plants that they live on during that time are removed, or sprayed with herbicide, then you will not see the butterfly.

Plant Name	Butterfly Name	Egg/ Caterpillar/ Chrysalis/ Butterfly	Plant Usage	Plant Usage Months
Asters in gardens	Comma	Butterfly	Eats nectar.
Runner and Broad Beans in fields and gardens	Large White Small White	Butterfly	Eats nectar	April-June or July-September March-May or June-September
Aubretia in gardens	Clouded Yellow	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November
Birch	Holly Blue	Butterfly	Eats sap exuding from trunk.	April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation.
Birdsfoot Trefoil	Chalk-Hill Blue Wood White Marsh Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	20 days. May-June. 30 days in May-June.
Bitter Vetch	Wood White	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-June
Bluebell	Holly Blue Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. June. June-August.
Bramble	Comma Silver-washed fritillary High Brown Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	July-October. 7 weeks in July-August. June-August
Buddleias in gardens	Comma Peacock	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	July-October July-May
Bugle	Wood White Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Heath Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-June. June. June-August. June-July.
Cabbages and cabbages in fields	Large White Small White Green-veined White Orange Tip	Butterfly	Eats nectar	April-June or July-September March-May or June-September A Month during May-June or second flight in late July-August May-June for 18 days.
Charlock	Painted Lady	Butterfly	Eats nectar	July-October
Clovers	Adonis Blue Chalk-Hill Blue Painted Lady Peacock Large White Small White	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September 20 days in August July-October July-May April-June or July-September March-May or June-September
Clover	Pale Clouded Yellow Clouded Yellow Berger's Clouded Yellow Queen of Spain Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November 1 Month in May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November. May-September.
Cow-wheat	Heath Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	June-July
Cuckoo Flower	Wood White	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-June
Dandelion	Holly Blue Marsh Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. 30 days in May-June.
Fleabanes	Common Blue	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	3 weeks between May and September
Germander Speedwell	Heath Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	June-July
Greater Knapweed	Comma Peacock Clouded Yellow Brimstone	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	July-October July-May May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November 12 months
Hawkbit	Marsh Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	30 days in May-June.
Heartsease	Queen of Spain Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-September
Hedge Parsley	Orange Tip	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	May-June for 18 days.
Hemp agrimony	Comma	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	July-October
Horseshoe vetch	Adonis Blue Chalk-Hill Blue	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	1 Month 20 days
Ivy	Painted Lady Brimstone	Butterfly	Eats nectar. Hibernates during winter months in its foliage.	July-October October-May
Lucerne	Painted Lady Large White Small White Pale Clouded Yellow Clouded Yellow Berger's Clouded Yellow	Butterfly	Eats nectar	July-October April-June or July-September March-May or June-September May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November 1 Month in May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November
Marigolds in gardens	Clouded Yellow	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November
Marjoram	Adonis Blue Chalk-Hill Blue Common Blue Clouded Yellow	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September 20 days in August 3 weeks in May-September May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November
Michaelmas Daisies in gardens	Comma	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	July-October
Mignonettes	Large White Small White	Butterfly	Eats nectar	April-June or July-September March-May or June-September
Narrow-leaved Plantain	Heath Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	June-July
Nasturtiums in gardens	Large White Small White	Butterfly	Eats nectar	April-June or July-September March-May or June-September
Oak	Holly Blue	Butterfly	Eats sap exuding from trunk.	April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation.
Primroses	Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	June. June-August.
Ragged Robin	Wood White Heath Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	May-June. June-July.
Scabious	Painted Lady Peacock	Butterfly	Eats nectar	July-October July-May
Sedum	Peacock	Butterfly	Eats nectar	July-May
Teasels	Silver-washed fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	7 weeks in July-August.
Thistles - Creeping Thistle, Dwarf Thistle, Marsh Thistle, Meadow Thistle, Melancholy Thistle, Milk Thistle, Musk Thistle, Seaside Thistle, Scotch Thistle, Spear Thistle, Tuberous Thistle, Welted Thistle, Woolly Thistle	Comma Painted Lady Peacock Swallowtail Clouded Yellow Brimstone Silver-washed Fritillary High Brown Fritillary Dark Green Fritillary Queen of Spain Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	July-October July-October July-May May-July May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November 12 months. 7 weeks in July-August June-August. July-August for 6 weeks. May-September. June-August.
Thymes	Common Blue	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	3 weeks between May and September
Trefoils	Adonis Blue Chalk-Hill Blue Glanville Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September 20 days in August. June-July
Vetches	Chalk-Hill Blue Glanville Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar.	20 days in August. June-July.
Violets	Pearl-bordered Fritillary Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	June. June-August.
Wood Sage	Heath Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats nectar	June-July
Apple/Pear/Cherry/Plum Fruit Tree Blossom in Spring	Peacock	Butterfly	Eats Nectar	April-May
Rotten Fruit	Peacock	Butterfly	Drinks juice	July-September
Tree sap and damaged ripe fruit, which are high in sugar	Large Tortoiseshell	Butterfly	Hibernates inside hollow trees or outhouses until March. Eats sap or fruit juice until April.	10 months in June-April
Wild Flowers	Large Skipper Brimstone Silver-washed fritillary. Queen of Spain Fritillary	Butterfly	Eats Nectar	June-August 12 months. 7 weeks in July-August. May-September

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Inspiration

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