Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden

Butterflies are insects that many people want to attract, but so often people fail because they simply plant a few plants that are known to attract adult butterflies because of their nectar. To really attract butterflies it is better to take their entire lifecycle into consideration and plant items that will support butterflies in all sorts of stages.

Plants for Butterfly Eggs and Larvae

Many butterflies need specific plants to lay their eggs on, or for the larvae to eat. Many people know that the Monarch will only lay its eggs on milkweed, there are other butterflies like the Monarch. Zebra swallowtails will only lay their eggs on pawpaws, Pipevine swallowtails prefer Pipevines (also known as Dutchman's pipes) and so on. Do a little research, find out what types of butterflies live in your area and what types of plants they need for reproduction. Field guides are a good place to find this information.

Creating a Habitat for Adult Butterflies

There are many things you can do to make your yard appealing to butterflies. The first thing is to create an area protected from a lot of wind. Trees or shrubs can act as a good barrier. Plant so that you will have flowers to provide nectar for the butterflies throughout the entire season. Butterflies also need places to sun themselves. A good way to provide this is to plant low ground covers such as clover or providing a flat rock in a sunny, windless spot. Another item needed by butterflies is water. A conventional birdbath or other small item filled with water will work fine. Fill the container with flat stones that emerge above the water surface so that the butterflies have someplace to land and drink the water safely.

Flowers for Butterflies

There are many different species of butterflies and butterflies will visit many plants as sources for nectar or a place to lay eggs, but there are some plants that are especially important to butterflies so include as least a few plants from each of these plant families:

• Daisies-these plants are especially important as nectar sources. Include asters, sneezeweed, sunflowers, yarrow, cornflowers, bachelor's buttons, blanket flowers, black-eyed susans and goldenrods.
• Peas, Clovers and other Legumes- These are good sources for nectar but should be included in butterfly gardens because of their importance to caterpillars. This group includes plants such as sweet peas, alfalfa, sweet clover, senna or shower tree, redbuds, wisteria, and scarlet runner beans.
• Mints-Mints attract both butterflies and other beneficial insects. This group of plants includes lavenders, rosemary, catnip, bee balm, sage, salvias and hyssops.
• Parsleys-Swallowtail butterflies are especially attracted to plants in the parsley and carrot family. You should have at least Queen Anne's Lace, dill and wild parsnip in your butterfly garden.
• Violets and Pansies-Many species of butterflies lay their eggs on these tiny plants. Sweet violet and horned violet are common favorites.

By following these tips and planning a garden to attract butterflies during all stages of their life you will have better success and be able to enjoy the beauty of butterflies flitting around your garden.