Caterpillar food Scotland

Itoohaveagarden_21

Hi all,
just bought the wonderful wildlife gardening book by Kate Bradbury and got me thinking about what caterpillar food plants I can grow in Scotland.
All referenced plants don’t show up in my Garden plants for Scotland book. 

Any ideas?
thank you! 

pansyface

Here are some suggestions for food plants.

https://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/foodplants.php

We have a large patch of nettles in a far away corner of the garden and a hop that scrambles up a rowan tree. Both support common species of butterfly.

Obelixx

It surely depends what butterflies and moths are likely to be living in your area and what food plants they need.  Some are very specific in their requirements.

Itoohaveagarden_21

Yes that’s my problem, not all butterfly and moth species are up so far north but the advice out there is very south England oriented.
 

pansyface

Well, when I lived in Edinburgh I definitely remember seeing Red Admirals, Commas, Painted Ladies, Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells, which are the butterflies mentioned in my link above as living on the nettles and hops that I suggested.

But maybe you could cross reference the above link with this one.

https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/branch/139

Itoohaveagarden_21

Thanks so much!