LOCAL authors, Steve Woodhall and Lindsay Gray, have done it again. Their new book, Gardening for Butterflies, has just been released into stores countrywide.
Identifying a gap in the marketplace for a book that not only identifies butterfly and moth species that can be attracted to most gardens, it also discusses in detail the step-by-step method to design and plant an effective butterfly garden.
Woodhall is not only a respected lepidopterist and is president of the Lepidopterist Society of Africa, he has authored and co-authored six books, while Gray is principal of South Africa’s oldest garden design school and has written two other books on garden design.
“Gardening for Butterflies shows how to attract these beautiful winged insects to our gardens, providing easy instructions for planning and planting a garden that will cater for the greatest number and diversity of butterflies,” said Gray.
Using Steve’s Gillitts garden as a case study, which Lindsay redesigned, it includes a recommended layout and plant lists for this area, as well as suggestions for regions around the country.
The book is filled with magnificent photographs of 95 garden butterflies and moths, including their full life cycles, from egg to caterpillar, pupa and butterfly. Vivid photography and concise text ensure accurate identification of each stage in the cycle, and an interesting introduction discusses the extraordinary process of metamorphosis and the curious habits of these mercurial insects.
Included in the book are several gardens (three from KZN, one Highveld and one Eastern Cape) that offer a variety of ideal habitats for butterflies.
Whether you’re tempted to undertake a full-scale transformation of your garden to attract butterflies, make smaller adjustments to it or if you simply want to identify those insects already visiting your space, this book will amaze and enchant you.
The book is retailing at R230 each at book outlets countrywide.
