Grass

There are 59 species of butterfly resident in the British Isles and our native grasses are the major or sole foodstuffs of the larvae of around a fifth of them.

Here are the imagoes (adult phases) of some of the species that need access to native grasses if they are to complete their life cycle:

The header image, a marbled white photographed by DKG, is another species that lays its eggs in grass.

So no matter how pollinator-friendly your garden is, if your grass is close cut or artificial, the marbled white butterfly feeding in your flowerbeds will have to go elsewhere to lay her eggs. No Mow May will give those butterflies the opportunity to lay their eggs on the appropriate foodplant.

We have to learn to think in lifecycles.