amid chaos
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2000
- Messages
- 3,893
All of us probably love to watch the butterflies in our yards every year. I know I get very excited especially when I find a new species in my yard. Here are a few ideas for making a butterfly garden. You can use as many or as few as you want. A butterfly garden can be as simple as a few plants, up to a complete garden specifically designed for butterflies.
The first thing for a butterfly garden is of course plants. There are generally two types of plants in a butterfly garden, nectar plants and larval plants. Some plants serve both purposes. Butterfly bushes are an excellent plant for butterflies. If you don't have room for a whole garden, or don't want to create a whole garden, this is a great plant to add to your yard to draw butterflies. Another great butterfly nectar plant is zinnia. Larger butterflies love these plants because they provide platforms for resting while eating. They bloom all summer and into fall over most if not all of the country. And you can start them very easily from seed so they are very cheap too.
Other plants for a butterfly garden are:
Lantana
Sedum
Caryopteris
Butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa)
Veronica
Sages
Cosmos
Dianthus
Alyssum
Marigolds
Bachelor's buttons
Coreopsis
Impatients
Asters
Cleome
Gaillardia
Phlox
Monarda
There are many, many more. Plant selections that will bloom at different times of the year, including early spring and late fall, to aid the early and late comers. Planting natives is a great idea too. They are generally easy to grow and are most likely to attract the butterflies native to your area.
If you want to keep the butterflies in your yard, you should also plant larval plants. These are the plants that the caterpillars will feed on while they grow. Realise that these plants are very likely to be eaten to death, so planting many is a good idea. Larval plants are usually specific to a type of butterfly. Monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweeds (butterfly weed) and gulf fritillaries like passion flower vines. When you identify the types of butterflies in your area, make sure to plant the larval plants they like. Some larval plants are:
Oaks
Wisteria
Passionflower vine
Dutchman's pipe
Hickory
Butterfly weed
Queen Anne's lace
Parsley
Fennil
Dill
Cherries
Willow
Ash
Legumes
Hostas (plantains)
Verbena
There are many more of these too.
Some butterflies eat rotten fruit. I have a hanging feeder we put banana peels, orange pieces, etc in and it's covered in butterflies too. (Be careful here, it also draws yellow jackets so put it in an out of the way place. Don't forget, it will smell too.)
Now, if you really want to get into this, add water, warm-ups and hibernatories to your yard. A butterfly bath can be made by using a shallow dish and putting rocks in it. Fill it so that the water is not quite covering the rocks so the butterflies can land and drink. Put a flat rock in your garden in the sun. Butterflies need to warm up before they become really active. This will give them a spot for that. And a brush pile gives those butterflies that hibernate a place to hide safely.
A few more notes. A butterfly garden should be planted in full sun, both for the plants and to warm the butterflies. It should also be somewhat protected from wind. Butterflies have a hard time flying in winds, so a sheltered spot is perfect. Also, many of the flowers you put out for your butterflies, will also draw hummingbirds, so you'll get an extra bonus if you're lucky.
The first thing for a butterfly garden is of course plants. There are generally two types of plants in a butterfly garden, nectar plants and larval plants. Some plants serve both purposes. Butterfly bushes are an excellent plant for butterflies. If you don't have room for a whole garden, or don't want to create a whole garden, this is a great plant to add to your yard to draw butterflies. Another great butterfly nectar plant is zinnia. Larger butterflies love these plants because they provide platforms for resting while eating. They bloom all summer and into fall over most if not all of the country. And you can start them very easily from seed so they are very cheap too.
Other plants for a butterfly garden are:
Lantana
Sedum
Caryopteris
Butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa)
Veronica
Sages
Cosmos
Dianthus
Alyssum
Marigolds
Bachelor's buttons
Coreopsis
Impatients
Asters
Cleome
Gaillardia
Phlox
Monarda
There are many, many more. Plant selections that will bloom at different times of the year, including early spring and late fall, to aid the early and late comers. Planting natives is a great idea too. They are generally easy to grow and are most likely to attract the butterflies native to your area.
If you want to keep the butterflies in your yard, you should also plant larval plants. These are the plants that the caterpillars will feed on while they grow. Realise that these plants are very likely to be eaten to death, so planting many is a good idea. Larval plants are usually specific to a type of butterfly. Monarchs only lay their eggs on milkweeds (butterfly weed) and gulf fritillaries like passion flower vines. When you identify the types of butterflies in your area, make sure to plant the larval plants they like. Some larval plants are:
Oaks
Wisteria
Passionflower vine
Dutchman's pipe
Hickory
Butterfly weed
Queen Anne's lace
Parsley
Fennil
Dill
Cherries
Willow
Ash
Legumes
Hostas (plantains)
Verbena
There are many more of these too.
Some butterflies eat rotten fruit. I have a hanging feeder we put banana peels, orange pieces, etc in and it's covered in butterflies too. (Be careful here, it also draws yellow jackets so put it in an out of the way place. Don't forget, it will smell too.)
Now, if you really want to get into this, add water, warm-ups and hibernatories to your yard. A butterfly bath can be made by using a shallow dish and putting rocks in it. Fill it so that the water is not quite covering the rocks so the butterflies can land and drink. Put a flat rock in your garden in the sun. Butterflies need to warm up before they become really active. This will give them a spot for that. And a brush pile gives those butterflies that hibernate a place to hide safely.
A few more notes. A butterfly garden should be planted in full sun, both for the plants and to warm the butterflies. It should also be somewhat protected from wind. Butterflies have a hard time flying in winds, so a sheltered spot is perfect. Also, many of the flowers you put out for your butterflies, will also draw hummingbirds, so you'll get an extra bonus if you're lucky.
Now *I* wish I had a beer! 
