Everyone loves butterflies, those graceful and vivid insects which don't bite or sting, invade houses, or buzz annoyingly. They add nothing but beauty to the world. Of course, their larvae eat plants, but most gardeners consider the damage caterpillars do minimal compared to the reward of having the adults around. Those who plant special butterfly gardens provide food, shelter, and resting places for these much-loved guests of summer.
Both butterflies and gardeners like bright colors, and many native and cultivated plants will please both groups. Some plants work as 'hosts', providing a place to lay eggs and food for the emerging caterpillars. Others provide nectar, which feeds the adults. Many plants do both.
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 sun as well as food, water, shelter from the weather, and protection from predators. Insects are cold-blooded, so they need to warm themselves in sunny places each morning. Placing a large rock or leaving a patch of bare earth in a sunny spot gives them a place to bask. A detail like this can also add visual interest to the garden.
'Kaleidoscope' is only one of many terms for a crowd of these pretty insects. They can be called a flutter, a swarm, or a rabble. The caterpillars are called an army. A flutter often gathers at the edge of a mud-puddle, getting moisture from the wet soil. Gardeners can make 'puddling stations' of wet sand or put smooth rocks in shallow dishes of water to make water available.
Many valuable nectar plants are the profuse blooms that gardeners love. Sweet alyssum, candytuft, and creeping phlox are colorful ground covers. Lantana, lavender, hyssop, catmint, and peppermint are herbs that attract all pollinators. The brilliant orange butterfly weed and the vigorous butterfly bush are tall perennials that fit well in the back of a bed. Vines can be trained over arbors or along fences and are virtually care-free.
Those who want low maintenance can choose native plants. Many of these, like Bee Balm, are also deer and slug resistant. Bee Balm is a wildflower that thrives in zones three to eight. Coneflower is another native flower that deer and slugs usually leave alone but butterflies love. To provide the most help, find out which insects are native to the area or will migrate through and choose plants that those species need to survive.
Butterflies like diversity, so it's fine to mix in favorites like roses, daffodils, allium, and lilies. It's easy to create a garden that works for both the butterflies and the humans. Remember to avoid systemic pesticides, since these permeate the entire plant (including the nectar) and kill both adult insects and the larvae.
Both butterflies and gardeners like bright colors, and many native and cultivated plants will please both groups. Some plants work as 'hosts', providing a place to lay eggs and food for the emerging caterpillars. Others provide nectar, which feeds the adults. Many plants do both.
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 sun as well as food, water, shelter from the weather, and protection from predators. Insects are cold-blooded, so they need to warm themselves in sunny places each morning. Placing a large rock or leaving a patch of bare earth in a sunny spot gives them a place to bask. A detail like this can also add visual interest to the garden.
'Kaleidoscope' is only one of many terms for a crowd of these pretty insects. They can be called a flutter, a swarm, or a rabble. The caterpillars are called an army. A flutter often gathers at the edge of a mud-puddle, getting moisture from the wet soil. Gardeners can make 'puddling stations' of wet sand or put smooth rocks in shallow dishes of water to make water available.
Many valuable nectar plants are the profuse blooms that gardeners love. Sweet alyssum, candytuft, and creeping phlox are colorful ground covers. Lantana, lavender, hyssop, catmint, and peppermint are herbs that attract all pollinators. The brilliant orange butterfly weed and the vigorous butterfly bush are tall perennials that fit well in the back of a bed. Vines can be trained over arbors or along fences and are virtually care-free.
Those who want low maintenance can choose native plants. Many of these, like Bee Balm, are also deer and slug resistant. Bee Balm is a wildflower that thrives in zones three to eight. Coneflower is another native flower that deer and slugs usually leave alone but butterflies love. To provide the most help, find out which insects are native to the area or will migrate through and choose plants that those species need to survive.
Butterflies like diversity, so it's fine to mix in favorites like roses, daffodils, allium, and lilies. It's easy to create a garden that works for both the butterflies and the humans. Remember to avoid systemic pesticides, since these permeate the entire plant (including the nectar) and kill both adult insects and the larvae.
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