Native plants support caterpillars which eat their leaves, and feed moths, butterflies and bees with nectar from their flowers.

Plants must be suited to local soil conditions.  Swindon is mostly alkaline coral limestone mixed with clay (north Swindon), and deeper alkaline kimmeridge clay (central and south Swindon).

Important FAB flowers include:

Meadows: Black knapweed, field scabious, birds foot trefoil, cowslip, yellow rattle.  The very thinnest coral limestone allows other beautiful flowers to thrive, such as spiny restharrow.

Woods: bluebell, primrose, nettle-leaved bellflower and common gromwell.

Woodland edge: wood vetch, bush vetch, valerian, betony.

Wetland:  purple loosestrife, square-stemmed hypericum, water mint, fleabane and devils bit scabious.

See also FAB Bushes & Trees