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6 Steps to Creating Your Butterfly Garden
Encourage these fanciful winged beauties to visit your garden while helping restore their fragmented habitat
Butterflies are among the most beloved insects. Someone once called them flying flowers. They float, they flutter and they dazzle us with their colors. We relish their dance of spring. Then there’s the bad news: Because of pesticides and habitat loss, the populations of our cherished butterflies are in decline.
Any home garden, even a container garden, can attract butterflies. My vision is a patchwork of schools, businesses, home gardens and parks around the country that provide insect habitat, restoring communities of beneficial insects. The steps are simple — like most of earth’s creatures, butterflies just need food, water, sun and a safe place to have a family.
Any home garden, even a container garden, can attract butterflies. My vision is a patchwork of schools, businesses, home gardens and parks around the country that provide insect habitat, restoring communities of beneficial insects. The steps are simple — like most of earth’s creatures, butterflies just need food, water, sun and a safe place to have a family.
Nectar plants. There are many plants, both native and introduced species, that adult butterflies use for nectar. These California dogface butterflies (Colias eurydice) are feeding on a geranium (Pelargonium sp.). Be sure to check out additional resources for a full list of nectar plants.
Caterpillar food plants. It’s a little more challenging if you want butterflies to reproduce and lay eggs in your garden. Adult butterflies lay their eggs only on or near plants that their caterpillars will eat. Every butterfly species has its own regional distribution and its own caterpillar preferences.
Caterpillars of one butterfly species — like the anise swallowtail — may eat a large number of plants, whereas other caterpillars are very picky eaters — like the caterpillars of the monarch butterfly (shown), who feed exclusively on milkweeds (Asclepias spp.).
To create a habitat that encourages butterflies to reproduce, select caterpillar food plants, also called host plants, for the butterflies in your region. And better yet, select caterpillar plants for butterflies you find in your specific neighborhood.
Caterpillars of one butterfly species — like the anise swallowtail — may eat a large number of plants, whereas other caterpillars are very picky eaters — like the caterpillars of the monarch butterfly (shown), who feed exclusively on milkweeds (Asclepias spp.).
To create a habitat that encourages butterflies to reproduce, select caterpillar food plants, also called host plants, for the butterflies in your region. And better yet, select caterpillar plants for butterflies you find in your specific neighborhood.
Following are popular caterpillar food plants that grow across North America and the butterfly species that rely on them. Be sure to look for varieties native to your area:
- Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.): Milkweeds are the only plant that monarch butterflies will use for reproduction and are critical to monarch caterpillars.
- Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.): Bramble hairstreak, American painted lady, Comstock’s hairstreak, Mormon metalmark, common hairstreak, Gorgon copper, blue copper, acmon blue, square-spotted blue, dotted blue, Mojave blue, Edward’s blue, Elvira’s blue, Bernardino blue, California green hairstreak and buckwheat blue.
- Wild lilacs (Ceanothus spp.): Doudoroff’s hairstreak, echo blue, hedgerow hairstreak, pale swallowtail, pacuvius duskywing and spring azure
- Oak trees (Quercus spp.), like this one in Santa Barbara, California, are important habitat plants for all kinds of wildlife. Oaks host a number of butterflies and moths.
Gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae), shown here, and cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) thrive throughout the U.S. Many species of little yellow grass skippers are exceptionally easy to attract. Provide them with juicy grasses, like sedge (Carex spp.), and you’ll have an instant butterfly garden.
2. Plant in Full Sun
Butterflies are cold-blooded, and they need sun to warm up and get going in the morning. This brandegee sage (Salvia brandegeei) loves the hot sun and is a nectar plant for many butterflies. Additionally, a few sunny rocks, with their radiant heat, provide a nice perch for butterflies.
Butterflies are cold-blooded, and they need sun to warm up and get going in the morning. This brandegee sage (Salvia brandegeei) loves the hot sun and is a nectar plant for many butterflies. Additionally, a few sunny rocks, with their radiant heat, provide a nice perch for butterflies.
3. Add Water
Like all critters, butterflies need water. A small patch of wet ground is all that’s needed for a butterfly garden.
There are a number of ways to get a wet patch. Put a shallow container or a garbage can lid in the ground and add water, and you have an instant butterfly puddle. To protect yourself from mosquitos, be sure to empty and refresh the water often.
Another option is to install a water feature that gently splashes on the surrounding soil and rocks. Water and damp soil give butterflies the moisture and nutrients they need.
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Like all critters, butterflies need water. A small patch of wet ground is all that’s needed for a butterfly garden.
There are a number of ways to get a wet patch. Put a shallow container or a garbage can lid in the ground and add water, and you have an instant butterfly puddle. To protect yourself from mosquitos, be sure to empty and refresh the water often.
Another option is to install a water feature that gently splashes on the surrounding soil and rocks. Water and damp soil give butterflies the moisture and nutrients they need.
Find outdoor fountains in the Houzz Shop
Buckwheats, like the red buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) shown here, are host plants for a number of butterfly caterpillars.
4. Protect Egg-Laying Sites
Besides the joy of procrastination, there are advantages to waiting to tidy up the garden: butterflies. Adult butterflies lay their eggs on or near the host plants.
Pupation and overwintering sites are typically nearby in dry, protected spots between rocks and in leaf litter. So don’t clean up in the fall and winter. Wait until later in spring, after those little caterpillars wake up and find their spring breakfast treasure.
4. Protect Egg-Laying Sites
Besides the joy of procrastination, there are advantages to waiting to tidy up the garden: butterflies. Adult butterflies lay their eggs on or near the host plants.
Pupation and overwintering sites are typically nearby in dry, protected spots between rocks and in leaf litter. So don’t clean up in the fall and winter. Wait until later in spring, after those little caterpillars wake up and find their spring breakfast treasure.
5. Don’t Use “’Cides”
Insects are particularly sensitive to toxins. The use of pesticides, herbicide, fungicides or other ’cides in or near a wildlife garden is counterproductive. This is particularly true of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterial insecticide.
Instead, leave the bad bugs. Plants can easily tolerate up to 10 percent damage from insects. Then the good bugs will find and destroy the bad bugs — and hey, most bad bugs aren’t as bad as we think. There is a natural balance. Worry less about insects as pests and think more about insects as guests.
Insects are particularly sensitive to toxins. The use of pesticides, herbicide, fungicides or other ’cides in or near a wildlife garden is counterproductive. This is particularly true of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterial insecticide.
Instead, leave the bad bugs. Plants can easily tolerate up to 10 percent damage from insects. Then the good bugs will find and destroy the bad bugs — and hey, most bad bugs aren’t as bad as we think. There is a natural balance. Worry less about insects as pests and think more about insects as guests.
6. Have a Willingness to Learn
I love learning more about all kinds of critters, such as this variable checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) feeding on wooly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum). A lot of information exists about caterpillar host plants, butterflies in different regions and all the fun things we can do to encourage butterflies in our gardens.
I love learning more about all kinds of critters, such as this variable checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) feeding on wooly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum). A lot of information exists about caterpillar host plants, butterflies in different regions and all the fun things we can do to encourage butterflies in our gardens.
For more information contact your university extension, native plant society, local native-plant nurseries or a landscape designer in your area with native plant expertise.
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More on Houzz
Read more about gardening with native plants
Find a professional for your home improvement project
Shop for outdoor products
1. Use a Diversity of Plants
Butterflies want nectar from a diversity of flowering plants. And they find the plants when they are in large blocks of color. Like a sign over a roadside diner, blocks of color say, “Hey, we’re open for lunch.” Work with a landscape designer to select a variety of nectar plants for adult butterflies using these guidelines:
- Select plants that are native to your area. (Learn how to find the right native plants for your yard.)
- Include several plant species that flower at the same time.
- Have a combination of flowering annuals and perennials.
- Choose flowers of different sizes, shapes and colors.
- Plant blocks of color: patches of at least 3½ feet by 3½ feet of a single plant species and color.
- Have plants flowering through the growing season, from spring to late summer.
Tip: Don’t forget the moths. For every species of butterfly, there are nine or 10 species of moths. Moths have the same requirements as butterflies. Add a few plants for moths, then go outside after sunset and enjoy the show.Find a local landscape designer on Houzz