In case you didn't notice: I just Loooooooooove butterflies. I can't imagine a garden without them. Their shape, their colors - butterflies just keep amazing me. They must be Mother Natures favorite pets. Although I've never met a gardener who didn't share my love for butterflies, I do meet a lot of gardeners who think creating a butterfly-friendly garden is difficult. Let me tell you: it is not.
By Esmee McCornall
Let's start with the good news. Creating a garden that attracts butterflies can be done by everyone. Actually, you don't even need a garden. A butterfly garden can be as small as a container or window planter, or as large as your can design and build. Ready for the bad news? It isn't just as simple as planting the right stuff. You'll need to create an environment that will not only attract butterflies but will also entice them to lay their eggs. In other words, you want to create a complete ecosystem for all stages of a butterflies life.
Sounds complicated? Sounds like work? Stay with me. You'll be surprised.
First you will need to do a little research. What you want to find out is what butterflies are common in your area. Done? Step 2 is searching for the best nectar and host plants for your butterfly garden. That's the real (and only!) key to create a wonderful butterfly garden. Monarch butterfly caterpillars for instance like Milkweed, the Common Snout-Nosed however, wants hackberries. That's why it is important to do some research and know what butterflies live where you live. If you start with plants that attract butterflies that live thousand miles away, you'll get disappointed. And we don't want that :)
One more thing: what caterpillars eat is not what a butterfly gets its nourishment from. Caterpillars eat leaves, so you need the right plants in your own butterfly ecosystem. But butterflies drink their food. So if you want to encourage 'your' butterflies to stay close to your own little ecosystem, you also need nectar bearing flowers and plants which hold water on their leaves.
To get started: hosts for butterfly egg laying and caterpillar food
Monarch – Milkweed
Swallowtail – parsley, parsnips, carrots, fennel, anise, pipe vine
Great Southern White – mustard
Zebras, Julia, Gulf Fritillary – passion flower leaves
Greater and Lesser Fritillaries – violets
Comma – nettle and hops
Buckeye – plantain and gerardia
Red Admiral – nettles
Common Blue – dogwood flowers
California Sister – live oak
Fawn – birch and elder
Nectar bearing plants and flowers include the following varieties:
Lantana (full sun)
Zinnias (partial to full sun)
Sage (full sun)
Sunflower (full sun)
Butterfly bush and weeds (partial to full sun)
Bee balm (partial to full sun)
Lilac (partial to full sun)
Marjoram (partial to full sun)
Hebe (partial to full sun)
Pentas (partial to full sun)
Purple Coneflowers (partial to full sun)
Before I forget: butterflies need sunlight in order to regulate their body temperature. But not too much. So your ecosystem should have both sunlight and partial shade to offer the best of both worlds.
By Esmee McCornall
Let's start with the good news. Creating a garden that attracts butterflies can be done by everyone. Actually, you don't even need a garden. A butterfly garden can be as small as a container or window planter, or as large as your can design and build. Ready for the bad news? It isn't just as simple as planting the right stuff. You'll need to create an environment that will not only attract butterflies but will also entice them to lay their eggs. In other words, you want to create a complete ecosystem for all stages of a butterflies life.
Sounds complicated? Sounds like work? Stay with me. You'll be surprised.
First you will need to do a little research. What you want to find out is what butterflies are common in your area. Done? Step 2 is searching for the best nectar and host plants for your butterfly garden. That's the real (and only!) key to create a wonderful butterfly garden. Monarch butterfly caterpillars for instance like Milkweed, the Common Snout-Nosed however, wants hackberries. That's why it is important to do some research and know what butterflies live where you live. If you start with plants that attract butterflies that live thousand miles away, you'll get disappointed. And we don't want that :)
One more thing: what caterpillars eat is not what a butterfly gets its nourishment from. Caterpillars eat leaves, so you need the right plants in your own butterfly ecosystem. But butterflies drink their food. So if you want to encourage 'your' butterflies to stay close to your own little ecosystem, you also need nectar bearing flowers and plants which hold water on their leaves.
To get started: hosts for butterfly egg laying and caterpillar food
Monarch – Milkweed
Swallowtail – parsley, parsnips, carrots, fennel, anise, pipe vine
Great Southern White – mustard
Zebras, Julia, Gulf Fritillary – passion flower leaves
Greater and Lesser Fritillaries – violets
Comma – nettle and hops
Buckeye – plantain and gerardia
Red Admiral – nettles
Common Blue – dogwood flowers
California Sister – live oak
Fawn – birch and elder
Nectar bearing plants and flowers include the following varieties:
Lantana (full sun)
Zinnias (partial to full sun)
Sage (full sun)
Sunflower (full sun)
Butterfly bush and weeds (partial to full sun)
Bee balm (partial to full sun)
Lilac (partial to full sun)
Marjoram (partial to full sun)
Hebe (partial to full sun)
Pentas (partial to full sun)
Purple Coneflowers (partial to full sun)
Before I forget: butterflies need sunlight in order to regulate their body temperature. But not too much. So your ecosystem should have both sunlight and partial shade to offer the best of both worlds.
Butterfly Gardening: Create A Butterfly-friendly Ecosystem
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