Learn about local butterflies, so you can provide the right match of plants to make your garden a popular hangout. wash pests away with insecticidal soap.Įach butterfly has a favorite nectar plant and needs a specific host plant where it will lay eggs.encourage ladybugs and dragonflies to dine in your garden.plant marigolds, petunias, mint and other herbs that naturally repel pests.Pesticides kill butterflies, caterpillars and other useful insects. A large, colorful garden is easy for butterflies to find and encourages them to stay longer. They seem to prefer red, orange, yellow, purple and dark pink. The sight of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis will more than make up for the chewed leaves.īutterflies see more colors than humans do. Select plants that are native to your area and they will attract local butterflies.īutterflies lay their eggs on host plants that the emerging caterpillars will eat. Butterflies also need sun to warm their bodies for flight.īutterflies are attracted to flowers with strong scents and bright colors where they drink sweet, energy-rich nectar. Plants, especially flowering plants, need sun to make food for themselves and nectar for butterflies. There are many good websites dedicated to butterflies and butterfly gardening. Good resources for learning more about butterfly gardening include zoos, botanical gardens, butterfly houses, garden centers and nurseries, libraries and the internet. It is best not to plant in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. It takes 3–4 weeks for a caterpillar to pupate and 9–14 days to emerge as an adult.īutterfly gardens are best planted in the spring with younger plants or in the fall with mature plants that will become dormant quickly and re-emerge in the spring. Planting an adequate supply of host plants gives butterflies a place to lay their eggs, which will successfully hatch and result in butterflies that will continue to visit the garden.īutterflies typically lay their eggs in late spring, and the eggs hatch 3–6 days after they are laid.
#BUTTERFLY GARDEN DESIGN FULL#
Planting a variety of nectar sources will encourage more butterflies to visit the garden.īut, in order to support a full butterfly life cycle, host plants (for laying eggs and use as a caterpillar food source) must also be present. If it growns native in your area, allow it to naturalize Spring flowering shrubs such as Azaleas adn Rhododendrons attract hummingbirds to your garden early in the season. Adult butterflies have a very short lifespan. Butterfly Garden Design Helpful hits Asclepias or Butterfly weed is the host plant for monarch butterflies. One of the most common mistakes in butterfly gardening is planting only one nectar source. Many nectar-producing plants are native species which require little attention, as they are naturally adapted to the region in which they live. Nectar-producing plants will attract butterflies to your garden. Throughout the country, the general requirements for butterfly gardening are the same: full sun, nectar source plants, larval host plants, a pesticide-free environment and knowledge of the local butterfly fauna. Include a hummingbird feeder in the garden.Ranging in size from a few containers placed in a sunny spot to several acres, butterfly gardens can be grown throughout the United States. Provide two low containers filled with dark rocks for butterflies to warm themselves. Place a few sticks and rocks on top of the sand, and fill the pans with water. Provide water sources for "puddling" by burying two pans filled with sand. Provide fruit such as bananas and watermelon as an additional food source. It should be in full sun at least six hours a day. The garden should be approximately 10 feet by 12 feet. Three ornamental cabbages ( Brassica oleracea)įive parsley plants ( Petroselinum crispum)Įight globe amaranth ( Gomphrena globosa)Ĭlick here for descriptions and photos of plants. Three New England asters ( Aster novae-angliae 'Alma Potschke') 'First, we need to make a plan view drawing of the yard and house, and show where the trees and bushes are,' explains Cecilia. Two joe-pye weeds ( Eupatorium maculatum) 'You can make a butterfly garden in the side yard, but youll need to design it first.' So, the children put a piece of graph paper onto a clipboard, take a pencil and measuring tape and go outside. One butterfly bush ( Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight')įour goldenrods ( Solidago canadensis 'Golden Wings')