Gardening for Butterflies

Forget pesticides and ignore the mower

Female Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus). Caterpillars feed on a range of host plants, including Citrus. Photo by Kylie Osullivan on Unsplash

It’s spring in the South and the butterflies are making their presence known. In my garden — which is mostly lawn, because I live in a rental property — Common Grass-blues (Zizina otis) are present in their hundreds. This is one of the most widespread species in Australia, abundant in parks and on sports ovals and in the gardens of people with a relaxed…