|
|
Attracting butterflies into your garden
Few creatures are more delicate and beautiful than a butterfly visiting your garden. Seeing a dozen monarchs, swallowtails or fritillaries fluttering from bush to bush will instill a sense of accomplishment to you and when you observe them gently sampling from the plants that you have carefully selected and grown, you will surely feel a sense of a job well done.
Creating a butterfly friendly garden is not complicated, you just have to think of a few of their needs and plan accordingly.
Butterflies need sun Butterflies like warm bouyant air so make sure that they have plenty of areas around the garden with direct sun. Also the more sunny your garden is, the more flowering plants will grow, thus attracting butterflies in as they fly through the neighborhod.
Butterflies need water
But butterflies do not drink from open water sources like bird baths or puddles but rather from saturated soil and sand. You may see a butterfly on the edge of a bird bath or puddle, but they are likely drinking from the wet edges. This puts them in danger from predators and they tend to avoid it if possible. Try to provide a protected wet area in full sun somewhere in your garden.
Butterflies need shelter and safety from wind and predators
Think about bushy plants that will allow the butterflies to rest a moment and not be exposed to predators. Plant some of these for both a source of food and for much needed shelter. Honeysuckle, Butterfly bushes, and vines like Morning glory, Passion flower and Clematis are all irresistible to butterflies.
Butterflies need food
Of course the main reason butterflies will visit is for food and you will need to provide plenty of it. We have provided a list of flowers that butterflies will go crazy for, but also consider some native plants like dandelion, nettle and milkweed. They are weeds but the butterflies don't know that! If you can leave an area to the weeds, the butterflies will thank you!
Food sources for caterpillars
Remember that butterflies are eating so much so that they may produce the next generation of offspring. Most butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of leaves on trees. You shouldn't need to worry about butterfly caterpillars damaging your garden plants. For some species who do raise their young on plants such as the monarch, they typically prefer native plants such as milkweed so it's not a big deal. Who's going to miss a few weeds!
Don't use any pesticides
Butterflies are very delicate creatures and will not do well at all if you use poisons in your garden. Try to avoid using them if you want butterflies to thrive in your garden. But if you need to control a certain pest, be selective and careful about it. |
Plants that attract butterflies
| Scientific name |
Common name |
| Asclepias tuberosa |
Butterfly Weed |
| Buddleia davidii |
Butterfly Bush |
| Schizanthus wisetonensis |
Butterfly Flower |
| Hedychium coronarium |
Butterfly Lily |
| Clitoria ternata |
Butterfly Pea |
| Achillea millefolium |
Yarrow |
| Aquilegia |
Columbine |
| Armeria maritima |
Sea Pink |
| Callistephus chinensis |
Aster |
| Eryngium bourgatii |
Sea Holly |
| Echinacea purpurea |
Coneflower |
| Lathyrus odoratus |
Sweet Pea |
| Chrysanthemum |
Chrysanthemum |
| Chrysanthemum shasta |
Shasta Daisy |
| Rudbeckia hirta |
Gloriosa Daisy |
| Oncidium papilio |
Butterfly Orchid |
| Viola pedata |
Violets |
| Monarda didyma |
Bee Balm |
| Gaillardia aristata |
Blanket Flower |
| Syringa vulgaris |
Lilac |
| Chrysothamnus nauseosus |
Rabbitbrush |
| Potentilla fruticosa |
Cinquefoil |
| Dictamnus albus |
Burning Bush |
| Lavendula angustifolia |
English Lavender |
| Liatris spicata |
Gayfeather |
| Passiflora incarnata |
Passion Flower |
Articles and helpful links
|
|
|
|