How to Attract Butterflies in the City in St. Paul or Minneapolis, MN (or Anywhere)

If you want to attract butterflies to your home in the city, in either St. Paul or Minneapolis, Minnesota (as opposed to the suburbs or country), all you have to do is provide the right plants in a sunny location. You don't need a lot of yard space; even a few choice plants will attract them. You can even grow them in a pot, and on a deck with lots of sun. Mainly, the more right kinds of plants you have available for them, the more butterflies you'll attract.

Just remember, most butterflies only feed on particular plants, so if you don't provide those particular plants, it won't matter how many other kinds you grow. Other than that, the only drawback to being in the city is that there aren't as many varieties of butterflies you can attract as there are in the suburbs or country, because we simply don't have the right kind of habitat.

This article will describe which butterflies I attract in St. Paul, which plants are needed for various species and why, and other necessities you can provide to keep butterflies around. I've also included some vital information about why butterfly populations are declining, their natural defenses against predators, and links where you can see spectacular photos of our butterflies, and butterflies in other states.

I live in St. Paul, smack-dab in the city, in a residential area. There's a major street two blocks away, cars driving along my avenue, children playing in the yards, and dog-walkers and joggers constantly going past my house. Yet none of this deters butterflies from dining in my front yard.

IMPORTANT-What everyone, everywhere, should know about butterflies: Butterflies now must depend on human beings for their survival. Because we are developing so much of our land everywhere, butterflies are losing their natural habitat, including the plants which they need for breeding and nourishment. (Even Minnesota's little remaining prairie ecosystem has been threatened, which in turn has impacted our native butterflies.) As a result, they are necessarily becoming more and more reliant upon what we provide.

Note-Monarch butterflies: Every year, monarchs migrate south to central Mexico. (They usually leave Minnesota in August, then arrive back here the following summer.) Unfortunately, Mexico's forests are also being lost through development. The only plant monarch caterpillars eat is milkweed, which many people in the U.S. consider a weed, so they destroy them. This eradication of milkweed has directly contributed to a decline in the monarch's population for at least the past five years. Add to that how we're over-developing, and our use of pesticides and herbicides, and you have the recipe for killing off the entire species. The situation has become so serious, conservationists are urging people to create monarch "way stations" by planting clusters of milkweed.

Butterflies are a necessity in our food chain! Not only are they second only to bees as plant pollinators, but they're a vital food supply for other animals, such as birds, mammals, and insects such as spiders and praying mantises. So don't use pesticides or herbicides on your plants!

THE BUTTERFLIES I CONSISTENTLY ATTRACT in the city in St. Paul, MN are Monarchs and Tiger Swallowtails, both of which are huge and beautiful.

Monarch Butterflies (wingspan 4-6 in.) are primarily orange, with dark veins running throughout their wings, and a white-spotted black border on the edges. The caterpillar is also big and has white, yellow and black stripes.

Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies are even larger than Monarchs. They have distinctively long "tails" on their hind wings, similar to the forked tail on a barn swallow, which is how swallowtails got their name. These tails serve as a survival mechanism for swallowtails. If a bird catches one by the tail, intending to eat it, the tail comes off, freeing the butterfly so it can escape. Male Tiger Swallowtails are a glorious yellow, with black stripes running through their wings around the top and sides, while the wings near their tails are black with yellow marks. They also have a few orange and blue spots near their tails. The females, however, are often black, but they have a beautiful large swatch of iridescent blue along the edges of their wings near the tail, besides a few orange markings and white spots.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Information Center recommends going to the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center's website, http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/mn/703.htm to view photos of both the male and female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. You can also view a female Swallowtail, thanks to photographers Jerry F. Butler and Donald W. Hall, University of Florida, at http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/bfly/tiger_swallowtail_fig2.htm

OTHER BUTTERFLIES I HAVE ATTRACTED IN ST. PAUL, MN:

The Red Admiral, which is smaller than a Monarch, is mostly black, with a red stripe running through its wings and along the edge near the tail. Admirals also have white markings on the sides of their wings, closer to their heads.

The Viceroy. Its colors are quite similar to a Monarch's, but the Viceroy is smaller. Also, there's a distinctive black band running circular through its wings towards the tail, which the monarch doesn't have.

Although it's rare, I've also attracted Commas, Question Marks, Painted Ladies, and a few other smaller butterflies I couldn't identify.

DEFENSIVE COLORATION, ETC. Although milkweed leaves are poisonous to most animals, the main diet of Monarch butterflies is milkweed. Since Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed leaves, they, and later the butterfly itself, not only taste bad to birds who would prey on them, but they're also poisonous. In turn, although neither Viceroy caterpillars nor butterflies eat milkweed, and they aren't poisonous, birds avoid them because their coloring is so similar to a Monarch's. (This coloration defense is called mimicry.)

Because Butterfly Weed, which has bright orange flowers similar to the color of Monarch butterflies, is also a member of the milkweed family, it too is toxic to butterflies' predators.

THE ABSOLUTE THREE TYPES OF PLANTS YOU SHOULD GROW to attract butterflies in St. Paul or Minneapolis:

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): One of the two most popular plants in my yard! Originally a prairie plant, the coneflower is a tall, upright perennial, with stunning flowerheads consisting of pink petals topped by an orange cone. Monarchs and Swallowtails love my coneflowers, but they're also attractive to Red Admirals, Commas, Viceroys, etc.

Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata-not the small creeping, downy or ground-cover varieties): The other most popular plant in my yard! Although this is not a wildflower, Monarchs and Swallowtails converge on this fragrant perennial -pink, white, or multi-hued flowers, it doesn't matter. (Where to buy Garden Phlox: Leitner's Garden Center, 945 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. (651) 291-2655, besides a wide assortment of other plants.)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca): A native perennial, and actually an herb, milkweed has thick stems and grows on rhizomes deep beneath the soil. Monarch caterpillars feed on the fairly large leaves, while Monarch butterflies, Tiger Swallowtails, and many others, imbibe on the flowers' nectar. The pinkish/white clustered flowers bloom from June until August, and besides being very, very fragrant, they're actually attractive. Once in full bloom, the flowerheads tend to get heavy and droop. The fruit is a long pod filled with seeds that can float in the wind.

Where to buy milkweed plants: Several growers at the St. Paul Farmer's Market carry these native plants, such as Nancy Schumacher-"The Vagary"; Gene Stark-"Glacial Ridge Growers"; and Jeff Adelmann-"The Herbman." Also, milkweed is carried at Linder's Greenhouse, 270 Larpenteur Ave. W., St. Paul (between Dale and Rice) (651) 488-1927, and Landscape Alternatives, which specializes in native and prairie wildflowers, and is now located at 25316 St. Croix Trail, in Shafer, MN (Hwy. 95, approx. 5 mi. north of Hwy. 97). (651) 257-4460. http://www.landscapealternatives.com

OTHER TOP PLANTS TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES to St. Paul or Minneapolis: Basically, butterflies are attracted by nectar-producing plants. When reviewing this list, just remember that not all plants with the word "weed" in their name are, or grow like, weeds. (If you want an example of a plant spreading beyond control, you wouldn't believe how my Lilies-of-the-Valley have become a nuisance!)

Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) or its relative Gayfeather (liatris spicata). Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) Because Butterfly Weed is a member of the Milkweed family, any butterfly that feeds on its dark orange flowers benefits from its toxins. The flowers are deep orange; the leaves a deep green. Bee-Balm (Monarda didyma) which is deep red, is related to Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), which has lavender flowers. Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia species), Ironweed (Vernonia species) purple flowers, Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum), deep purple flowers, and Lantana (Lantana camara, L.species), with pink, yellow, red, orange and multi-hued flowers.

MORE PLANTS THAT ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES in the city in St. Paul and Mpls., MN: My Great Blue Lobelia (lobelia siphilitica) and its red version, the Cardinal Flower (lobelia cardinalis), New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) purple flowers with golden centers towards the Fall, and yes, Goldenrod (solidago). (The culprit that causes allergies is actually Ragweed pollen. Goldenrod pollen is too heavy to be carried by the wind.) I have other plants, but I've found that these plants I've included best attract butterflies to my yard.

Why Grow Native Plants? Native plants can survive our hot summers and cold winters, and are resistant to most pests and diseases. Also, native species rarely become invasive.

OTHER WAYS TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES: Let butterflies bask or puddle in your yard, supply a nectar or plain-water feeder, or put out a butterfly house.

1. Basking: If you put some large, flat rocks in a sunny location, butterflies like to rest on them, spread their wings and warm up, especially on cool, sunny days. (Butterflies can't fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees.)

2. Puddling: Some butterflies enjoy "puddling" on damp soil, mud piles, or sand to cool off; possibly seeking to suck up not only the water, but the sodium and mineral residue left by rain as the water evaporates. Simply make a small, open area for them to puddle in, then put some handfuls of gravel or flat stones on there and spread them flat, or even some pieces of bark and dead leaves. (I've seen small butterflies puddle around patches of gravel on the cement floor at garden centers.)

3. Supply a butterfly-nectar or plain-water feeder: Since butterflies can't drink from open water sources, they can't use a birdbath. When I've put nectar in a feeder, they never seem to use it; probably because there's an ample supply of the "real thing," but you may not have as many plants. They do, however, sometimes appreciate plain water.

To make a water or nectar feeder: Simply put one of those brightly-colored plastic mesh pot scrubbers (I suggest red or orange) in a small, shallow plastic dish or bowl that's suspended at least about 4 feet above the ground. (The scrubber should be brand new, and never used for washing dishes.) When the dish is filled with liquid and the pot scrubber is inside, the scrubber should reach the top edge of the dish, so it will be convenient for a butterfly to sip through the mesh.

If you'd like to try a nectar solution instead of just filling your feeder with water, make a combination of plain sugar and water (one part sugar to four parts water). Boil the water first, so when you add the sugar, it not only will dissolve better, but you'll kill any possible bacteria. Then let the solution cool, so if you're using a plastic dish or bowl it won't melt (I advise this from experience), and pour enough solution into your feeder so it comes to about half the height of the pot scrubber. The solution should be changed every day or two so it won't get moldy or filled with bacteria

4. Hang a butterfly house in your yard: It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. A simple wooden structure, without any decoration, will look more rustic, and besides, the only reason you would want one would be to provide shelter for butterflies. You should place a branch in the butterfly house, or some bark, so they'll have a place to perch. Just remember, butterflies that aren't native to Minnesota don't stay here over the winter.

Although I've never tried it, I've heard that Monarchs will dip their tongues into applesauce and watermelon rinds.

A COUPLE TIPS:

What to do if you find an injured butterfly: For example, if part of a wing is missing and it can't fly, generally there's no way you can heal it, and they do have a very short lifespan, but you can help its quality of life. I learned this from a friend who lives, breathes and works in one of those butterfly hoop houses when there was an injured swallowtail in my yard: "Soak a cotton ball or something similar in either Juicy Juice or Gatorade (they prefer purple or red colors), then put the cotton in a bottle cap or lid from a jar and place it near the injured butterfly. He can drink from that and get all the nutrients he needs until his life is over." Note: Most butterflies only live two to four weeks.

To distinguish between butterflies and moths, moths rest with their wings spread, while butterflies fold them up, except when they're basking for short periods in the sun. Also, the antennae on butterflies have a knob at the end, while those on moths don't. Most butterflies don't fly around at night.

VIEW SOME MINNESOTA BUTTERFLIES, or BUTTERFLIES THROUGHOUT THE U.S.: The July-August 1994 issue of the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer Magazine, which anyone in the U.S. can subscribe to free of charge, has photos and fascinating information about common Minnesota butterflies in an article by Janice Welsh, and can be viewed online by going to http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/young_naturalists/butterflies/index.html (The Volunteer depends on donations from its subscribers for its existence.)

Also, to find what butterflies are native to whichever state you live in, see photos and learn more about them, go to the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center's website at http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm

In conclusion - Yes, even if you live in the city in St. Paul or Minneapolis, you too can attract a thriving metropolis of butterflies. Just remember, it's all a matter of providing the right plants I suggested, particularly my top three, and you'll attract the same butterflies I do, if not more. Also, the next time it rains, be filled with joy, because the nitrogen in the air will extremely boost your plants' growth. (You can't get the same benefits by merely watering your plants with a hose.) From my yard to yours, may your visiting butterflies be bountiful!