Although the average life span of a butterfly in its adult form is around four weeks, a few species, such as Tortoiseshells, can actually live through the winter months and often take up residency in sheds and even your house!
A sudden warm spell, or central heating, may wake them early from hibernation, though, so if you find a butterfly has woken in winter, put it in a cool place and leave food such as a plum nearby.
Alternatively, keep them safe by providing them with a ‘bug hotel’. Tie short lengths of bamboo canes into clumps and leave them in stacks in dry areas of the garden.
Butterflies need water, too, so to supplement their diet of nectar, they sip from mud puddles, so don’t be too eager to…
