Start Winter Prep for Your Butterfly Garden

If you want butterflies filling the air in your yard this summer, you should be planning now. Late winter is the time to begin preparing, looking around for best prices and best selection, according to Alexis Weigel of Centralia, located in Southern Illinois. Thousands of people across the country join her in attracting and breeding butterflies in their yards. They read books, peruse websites, subscribe to newsletters, and attend lectures in pursuit of their goal.

Weigel's has replaced grass with butterfly- and caterpillar-friendly plants in her small yard space (50' X 25', with walkways, plus a postage-stamp size front yard). The yard is designated a National Wildlife Habitat.

Weigel often speaks on her favorite subject. She once even took caterpillars with her on the train to a speaking engagement in Chicago.

Butterfly Terrarium Gardening

She helps out Mother Nature by rearing the butterflies indoors.

"I bring them in as caterpillars or as eggs...it depends on the species and on what I can find...and I raise them in an aquarium. I put stricks in and they attach themselves to the sticks and they make their chrysallis. When they hatch I let them loose," Weigel said. "There's an awful lot of things that want to eat caterpillars."

Butterflies lay eggs in late spring. They hatch in 3-5 days. It takes 3-4 weeks for a caterpillar to pupate, then 9-14 days to emerge as an adult.

Top Four Tips

Weigel's top tips:

Never use insecticides. Relay on natural repellents: marigolds, petunias, and mint. Use insecticidal soap to wash away pests and encourage the presence of dragonflies and ladybugs.

Provide protection from the wind.

Provide for full sun to warm the butterflies wings in the morning so they can fly. That also encourages plant growth.

Provide host plants and nectar plants.

What Are Host Plants and Nectar Plants?

Both host plants and nectar plants can be very species specific. Host plants are food sources where the butterflies lay eggs which hatch tiny caterpillars that feed on the plant. Some of the plants and trees include willow for the red spotted purple butterfly, black cherry for the tiger swallowtail, pawpaw for the zebra swallowtail, spicebush for the spicebush swallowtail, hop tree for the giant swallowtail, senna for the cloudless sulfur, the common kitchen herb fennel for the black swallowtail, and milkweed for the beautiful Monarch butterfly.

Nectar plants are flowered pants that produce the sweet fluid the butterflies feed on. Weigel said native plants are best because they're tougher. Some of the plants you should be considering are the butterfly bush and butterfly weed (easy enough to remember), azalea, black-eyed susan, Egyptian star flower, ironweed, Joe-Pye weed, lantana, French marigold, New England aster, purple coneflower, swamp milkweed, blazing star, vervain, and zinnia.

Keep in mind that butterflies see more colors than humans and show an apparent preference for red, orange, yellow, purple, and dark pink.

Bone Up on Butterflies

Do some research to fine-tune your knowledge of butterflies and butterfly-rearing. "Do some reading and figure out what kind of butterfly you have in your area and plant for them" said Weigel. Her yard tends to attract swarms of swallowtail butterflies. Pick up a guide or two at the bookstore. Also check the internet. Learn what butterflies are native to your area. Adjust your plantings accordingly.