Gardens today are much more than vegetable patches with a few flowers planted around the edges for color. Whole gardens are planted and tended exclusively for their appealing colors and scents. Additionally, they can be attractants to birds, small animals, and butterflies. With North America home to an astonishing 700-plus species of butterflies, your garden is the key to getting some of these beauties to visit, maybe even live in your yard.
Picture yourself sitting in your backyard, with your garden as your entertainment. Flitting among the flowers are various sizes and colors of butterflies, a Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) on the Queen Anne’s Lace, a Monarch (Danaus plexippus)in the corner by the milkweed, several Wood Nymphs (Cercyonis pegala) down along the grass. This really can be your garden, complete with small visitors, if you take the time to plan your garden’s layout and attractants to specific species. A few additional plants and the butterflies they often attract:
- Red Spotted Purples (Limenitis arthemis) are attracted to Willow (Salix spp.)
- Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) are attracted to Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
- Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae) is attracted to Senna (Cassia spp.)
Attracting Caterpillars
To have butterflies frequenting your garden in abundance, you must start by attracting the caterpillar. Depending on the particular species, caterpillars often have a love of plants that many gardeners would not consider worthy of residing in their well-tended garden: namely milkweed or nettles. Plant a patch of these off to a corner but still within the garden. Other plants that will attract different species of caterpillars include Queen Ann’s Lace, wisteria, clovers, various grasses and trees. Thoughtful planning and inclusion of grassy areas and trees will increase the possibility of caterpillars setting up home.
Butterfly Food
Continue by planning your gardens layout to include a good mix of flowers that love the sun along with a few varieties that also will tolerate a moderate amount of shade to give the butterflies and caterpillars resting areas. Butterflies are sun lovers so planting sun-loving flowers that also are rich in nectar is logical, as the adult butterfly will usually only feed in full sunlight. Some examples of flowers that love sun and are often high in nectar include:
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Azaleas (Rhododendron spp.)
- Goldenrods (Solidago spp.)
- Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberose)
- Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.)
- Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)
- Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
- French Marigold (Tagetes patula)
- Field Wildflowers
Color
Color is also of importance when choosing which flowers to plant, with pink, red, orange, yellow and purple all optimum choices.
Wind and Water
Additional considerations that must be taken into account when in the planning stages include a water feature of some type, at the least some areas that will retain moisture in the form of small puddles. A quick and easy way to make a puddle that will retain water longer and be a natural attractant to our small winged friends is to bury a small container or large bowl so the rim is even with the ground. Fill with dirt, leaving the last one or two inches dirt free. Place a few medium sized stones and sticks in the dirt to give the butterflies a few spots to land. Soak with water.
You should also consider how the garden’s overall layout could be planned to cut down on strong winds that may frequent your area, other than storms, which cannot be avoided. Butterflies both need and enjoy a very light breeze, but not wind.
Once your garden is well into its growing phase, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that the picture you imagined of watching the butterflies flit about your garden is now a reality.
