Peacock butterfly
Aglais io
Role in the garden
An emblematic garden butterfly, recognisable by its 4 large coloured “eyes” on the wings, which startle or confuse predators. The adult is a pollinator; the black, spine-bristled caterpillars, almost always on nettles.
Activity period
March to October, adult overwintering from November to February
How to attract / manage it
A peacock found in winter in a garage or barn is hibernating: do not disturb it.
Practical guide
Where to find them
Adults on nectar-rich flowers from March to October; they overwinter in dark, cool shelters (hollow trees, barns, garages, log piles). Caterpillars: on nettles in a colony (very visible, dozens on the same clump in June-July).
Prevention
A sunny nettle patch. Long-season nectar plants (buddleia, lavender, ivy). Preserve dark, cool shelters accessible in winter (log piles, hollow trees, barns). Do not cut the nettles before the end of July (caterpillars present).
Sources
- LPO : fiche espèce Paon du jour (lpo.fr)
- Butterfly Conservation : Peacock (butterfly-conservation.org)
Favourite plants / resources
Related plant entries
Lavender
A Mediterranean subshrub with evergreen grey foliage, true lavender forms structuring low edges and hedges that hold the dry garden together in full sun, on poor, dry, free-draining soils. Its summer flowering is among the most melliferous in the garden: it offers nectar and pollen at the height of summer, an often lean period, and draws honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies, the latter beneficial insects whose larvae devour aphids. A refuge for wild pollinators, it is traditionally planted along vegetable borders and near roses, its scent reputed to help diversify the surrounding odours. Drought-tolerant and hardy once established, it clothes rockeries, banks and paths without watering, while keeping its grey outline all year round.
Nettle
Traditionally used as a fertilising liquid manure. A host plant for many butterfly species (peacock, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, map, and several moths) and a refuge for many helpers: precious at the garden's edge.
Ground ivy
An aromatic ground cover that dresses cool, shaded corners, offers one of the very first nectars of spring to solitary bees, when resources are still scarce, and flavours cooking.