Butterflies are part of the summer scene that no one wants to do without. However, these colorful, graceful insects are in decline as their native habitats are being taken over by mono-crop farms, roads, suburbia, and commercial development. Concerned gardeners can create butterfly gardens to provide food, shelter, and safety for these insects. This is easy to do in sunny spots and possible in areas of light shade.
Butterflies like bright colors, so many native and cultivated plants that attract them also please gardeners who want pretty borders. However, all kinds of plants are important as 'hosts' for the larvae and to provide nectar for the adults. These include trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs, ground covers, and vines.
Even a window box of flowers can help, but a diverse planting can be a sanctuary. Herb gardens are great, since parsley, dill, fennel, rue, and others are hosts. So are dogwoods, Sweet Bay magnolias, sassafras, and pawpaw trees. Other plants double as nectar plants, including hollyhocks, nasturtiums, sunflowers, Black-eyed Susan, asters, and Echinacea. Milkweed is the only food Monarch larvae eat, while passion flower vines are a host for other species.
Butterflies need pretty much what every living creature needs: sunlight, food, shelter, water, a place for the young, and protection from predators. There are some other things that knowledgeable butterfly fanciers consider, like providing large rocks or bare patches of ground where the insects can bask in the sun. Being cold-blooded, butterflies need to warm up for the day's activities. These basking spots add aesthetic interest to a border, as well.
For water, the butterfly prefers damp soil or sand. The edges of a mud puddle often attract a kaleidoscope, which is one term for a group of these insects. They are also called a swarm, a rabble, or a flutter. Well-planned gardens have 'puddling stations' of damp sand or soil. Some experts advocate placing rounded stones in shallow dishes of water or nailing sponges to the tops of posts and keeping them wet.
Many popular blooming plants provide nectar for butterflies. Ground covers like Sweet Alyssium, Candytuft, and creeping phlox are valuable, as are flowering herbs like lantana, lavender, catmint, and peppermint. Train a passion flower vine over a trellis or along a fence. This vine is native to many areas, is a host as well as giving nectar, and is care-free.
Native plants are very low maintenance. Bee Balm is a wildflower that attract butterflies with its bright red flowers. Echinacea is another wildflower, which has been hybridized to get new colors. Many native plants are also deer and slug resistant. One way to have fun is to check out which butterflies are native to the area and choose indigenous plants to nurture them.
Mixing in cultivated favorites like roses, hyacinths, daffodils, and allium adds color and provides cut flowers for the house. These imported plants thrive in much of America, are hardy for years with proper care, and are attractive to many species of butterfly. They may require more care, but remember to avoid systemic pesticides, which will kill the butterflies as well as harmful insects.
Butterflies like bright colors, so many native and cultivated plants that attract them also please gardeners who want pretty borders. However, all kinds of plants are important as 'hosts' for the larvae and to provide nectar for the adults. These include trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs, ground covers, and vines.
Even a window box of flowers can help, but a diverse planting can be a sanctuary. Herb gardens are great, since parsley, dill, fennel, rue, and others are hosts. So are dogwoods, Sweet Bay magnolias, sassafras, and pawpaw trees. Other plants double as nectar plants, including hollyhocks, nasturtiums, sunflowers, Black-eyed Susan, asters, and Echinacea. Milkweed is the only food Monarch larvae eat, while passion flower vines are a host for other species.
Butterflies need pretty much what every living creature needs: sunlight, food, shelter, water, a place for the young, and protection from predators. There are some other things that knowledgeable butterfly fanciers consider, like providing large rocks or bare patches of ground where the insects can bask in the sun. Being cold-blooded, butterflies need to warm up for the day's activities. These basking spots add aesthetic interest to a border, as well.
For water, the butterfly prefers damp soil or sand. The edges of a mud puddle often attract a kaleidoscope, which is one term for a group of these insects. They are also called a swarm, a rabble, or a flutter. Well-planned gardens have 'puddling stations' of damp sand or soil. Some experts advocate placing rounded stones in shallow dishes of water or nailing sponges to the tops of posts and keeping them wet.
Many popular blooming plants provide nectar for butterflies. Ground covers like Sweet Alyssium, Candytuft, and creeping phlox are valuable, as are flowering herbs like lantana, lavender, catmint, and peppermint. Train a passion flower vine over a trellis or along a fence. This vine is native to many areas, is a host as well as giving nectar, and is care-free.
Native plants are very low maintenance. Bee Balm is a wildflower that attract butterflies with its bright red flowers. Echinacea is another wildflower, which has been hybridized to get new colors. Many native plants are also deer and slug resistant. One way to have fun is to check out which butterflies are native to the area and choose indigenous plants to nurture them.
Mixing in cultivated favorites like roses, hyacinths, daffodils, and allium adds color and provides cut flowers for the house. These imported plants thrive in much of America, are hardy for years with proper care, and are attractive to many species of butterfly. They may require more care, but remember to avoid systemic pesticides, which will kill the butterflies as well as harmful insects.
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