Listed below are some key factors which invite butterflies to your garden with nectar-rich perennial flowers, shrubs and trees. Once established, these bold bloomers will attract a wide variety of these colorful insects, as one romances the butterfly!
- Locate the butterfly garden in a sunny location. Butterflies are cold-blooded insects that are more active in the sunshine.
- If possible, plant your butterfly garden in a spot that is protected from high winds. Gardens near a fence, wall, or hedge will provide a safe haven for your butterfly neighbors.
- Include food plants for the butterfly larvae. Dill, fennel, parsley, carrot, and milkweed are all good choices.
- Never use herbicides or pesticides in your butterfly gardens.
- Butterflies like moisture, too. Fill a shallow dish or saucer with wet sand and sink it into your garden soil. On hot days, butterflies will enjoy the moisture provided by the wet sand.
- Plant a mixture of spring-summer, and fall-blooming perennials as well as annual flowers to provide a complete butterfly menu.
You can get started by letting a corner of your backyard go wild. Many butterfly species lay their eggs on “weed” plants such as clover, nettle, violet, and milkweed. Be sure to plant butterfly-attracting flowers in drifts or clumps. Plants lined up single file like toy soldiers aren’t as pleasing to the eye as those planted in large, more natural-looking groupings.
- Locate the butterfly garden in a sunny location. Butterflies are cold-blooded insects that are more active in the sunshine.
- If possible, plant your butterfly garden in a spot that is protected from high winds. Gardens near a fence, wall, or hedge will provide a safe haven for your butterfly neighbors.
- Include food plants for the butterfly larvae. Dill, fennel, parsley, carrot, and milkweed are all good choices.
- Never use herbicides or pesticides in your butterfly gardens.
- Butterflies like moisture, too. Fill a shallow dish or saucer with wet sand and sink it into your garden soil. On hot days, butterflies will enjoy the moisture provided by the wet sand.
- Plant a mixture of spring-summer, and fall-blooming perennials as well as annual flowers to provide a complete butterfly menu.
You can get started by letting a corner of your backyard go wild. Many butterfly species lay their eggs on “weed” plants such as clover, nettle, violet, and milkweed. Be sure to plant butterfly-attracting flowers in drifts or clumps. Plants lined up single file like toy soldiers aren’t as pleasing to the eye as those planted in large, more natural-looking groupings.
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