Butterflies will flock to garden if you plant one sweet-smelling perennial

This year has been a bumper year for butterflies in the UK, with a long period of fine weather seeing many species of butterfly emerging early in the summer and hanging around our gardens rather longer than usual. The 2025 Big Butterfly Count recorded 1.7 million butterflies, with the most frequently-spotted species including large whites, small whites, and red admirals.

But if you didn't see your fair share of the colourful little beasts, now's the time to plant something with an enticing smell that will bring a host of butterflies to your garden next year. The menacingly-named Rattlesnake Master is a distinctively prickly-looking plant that is native to the US, but will adapt well to conditions here in the UK. Because of its long tap root it should really only be transplanted in very early spring or autumn.

If you're growing it from seed, you can sow Rattlesnake Master almost all year round. The best time to plant Rattlesnake Master is after soil temperatures have dropped below 10ºC, but you will need to get it started in a greenhouse of cold frame to protect from the worst of the frosts. The seeds may become dormant and not emerge until the following spring.

For its final position in your garden, Rattlesnake Master prefers full sun and light well-drained soil. Once established it will produce distinctive globular flower heads and a ravishing fragrance that will bring dozens of butterflies into your garden.

You will need to ensure good drainage to get the best our of this prairie-adapted plant. You can improve the soil structure by adding compost, aerate the soil with spiking, or in extreme cases building a French drain or a similar drainage system to redirect excess water.

But the effort will soon pay off, with a sweet, honeyed smell that will attract lots of pollinating insects, and in particular butterflies.

Despite butterflies having had a good summer overall, some species do need some extra help.

Small whites, large whites and Jersey tiger moths were seen in substantial numbers in 2025.

However numbers of holly blue, common blue and meadow brown butterflies were all down on previous years.

The small tortoiseshell, which had its worst count in 2024, has declined by 60% since 2011

Dorset-based charity Butterfly Conservation's head of science Dr Richard Fox said: "Many of our common butterfly species are facing significant pressure from challenges linked to habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use.

"We know the weather impacts their numbers and with the summer we've just had we should be seeing them in far greater numbers."

Dr Fox added:"There remains a need for us to take urgent action to support our butterfly populations, including improving the environment in which they live, restoring habitats and reducing pesticide use.

"Until we do these things we are unlikely to see a great recovery in butterfly numbers, regardless of how much the sun shines."