Butterflies are part of the summer scene that no one wants to do without. However, these colorful, graceful insects are in decline as their native habitats are being taken over by mono-crop farms, roads, suburbia, and commercial development. Concerned gardeners can create butterfly gardens to provide food, shelter, and safety for these insects. This is easy to do in sunny spots and possible in areas of light shade.
Both butterflies and gardeners like bright colors, and many native and cultivated plants will please both groups. Some plants work as 'hosts', providing a place to lay eggs and food for the emerging caterpillars. Others provide nectar, which feeds the adults. Many plants do both.
Even a window-box can help a hungry butterfly along its way to other things it needs. However, a true habitat will have food, shelter, and suitable watering places. Beneficial herbs include dill, fennel, the mints, hyssop, parsley, and rue. Dogwood, pawpaws, sassafras, and some kinds of magnolias are good caterpillar nurseries. Sunflowers, hollyhocks, and the magnificent butterfly bushes are great as a backdrop for shorter flowers like asters, Black-eyed Susan, nasturtiums, and echinacea. Milkweed (favored by Monarchs) comes in the wild variety plant and a bright orange version called butterfly weed.
Full sun is best for this kind of garden; the minimum amount of sun is about six hours. Butterflies are cold-blooded and need sun to warm up, so setting large rocks out or leaving areas of bare ground will give them places to bask. This can also lend visual interest to the garden. Think how pretty a kaleidoscope (one term for a group of butterflies) will be, sunning themselves on a bright morning.
For water, the butterfly prefers damp soil or sand. The edges of a mud puddle often attract a kaleidoscope, which is one term for a group of these insects. They are also called a swarm, a rabble, or a flutter. Well-planned gardens have 'puddling stations' of damp sand or soil. Some experts advocate placing rounded stones in shallow dishes of water or nailing sponges to the tops of posts and keeping them wet.
Many valuable nectar plants are the profuse blooms that gardeners love. Sweet alyssum, candytuft, and creeping phlox are colorful ground covers. Lantana, lavender, hyssop, catmint, and peppermint are herbs that attract all pollinators. The brilliant orange butterfly weed and the vigorous butterfly bush are tall perennials that fit well in the back of a bed. Vines can be trained over arbors or along fences and are virtually care-free.
Native plants are very low maintenance. Bee Balm is a wildflower that attract butterflies with its bright red flowers. Echinacea is another wildflower, which has been hybridized to get new colors. Many native plants are also deer and slug resistant. One way to have fun is to check out which butterflies are native to the area and choose indigenous plants to nurture them.
The special gardens can include all the traditional favorites like roses, daffodils, allium, and annuals. Just remember to avoid systemic insecticides, which penetrate the whole plant and kill all pollinators that visit, as well as the caterpillars.
Both butterflies and gardeners like bright colors, and many native and cultivated plants will please both groups. Some plants work as 'hosts', providing a place to lay eggs and food for the emerging caterpillars. Others provide nectar, which feeds the adults. Many plants do both.
Even a window-box can help a hungry butterfly along its way to other things it needs. However, a true habitat will have food, shelter, and suitable watering places. Beneficial herbs include dill, fennel, the mints, hyssop, parsley, and rue. Dogwood, pawpaws, sassafras, and some kinds of magnolias are good caterpillar nurseries. Sunflowers, hollyhocks, and the magnificent butterfly bushes are great as a backdrop for shorter flowers like asters, Black-eyed Susan, nasturtiums, and echinacea. Milkweed (favored by Monarchs) comes in the wild variety plant and a bright orange version called butterfly weed.
Full sun is best for this kind of garden; the minimum amount of sun is about six hours. Butterflies are cold-blooded and need sun to warm up, so setting large rocks out or leaving areas of bare ground will give them places to bask. This can also lend visual interest to the garden. Think how pretty a kaleidoscope (one term for a group of butterflies) will be, sunning themselves on a bright morning.
For water, the butterfly prefers damp soil or sand. The edges of a mud puddle often attract a kaleidoscope, which is one term for a group of these insects. They are also called a swarm, a rabble, or a flutter. Well-planned gardens have 'puddling stations' of damp sand or soil. Some experts advocate placing rounded stones in shallow dishes of water or nailing sponges to the tops of posts and keeping them wet.
Many valuable nectar plants are the profuse blooms that gardeners love. Sweet alyssum, candytuft, and creeping phlox are colorful ground covers. Lantana, lavender, hyssop, catmint, and peppermint are herbs that attract all pollinators. The brilliant orange butterfly weed and the vigorous butterfly bush are tall perennials that fit well in the back of a bed. Vines can be trained over arbors or along fences and are virtually care-free.
Native plants are very low maintenance. Bee Balm is a wildflower that attract butterflies with its bright red flowers. Echinacea is another wildflower, which has been hybridized to get new colors. Many native plants are also deer and slug resistant. One way to have fun is to check out which butterflies are native to the area and choose indigenous plants to nurture them.
The special gardens can include all the traditional favorites like roses, daffodils, allium, and annuals. Just remember to avoid systemic insecticides, which penetrate the whole plant and kill all pollinators that visit, as well as the caterpillars.
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