Gardening for Butterflies

Besides enjoying the beautiful flowers in your garden, you might also enjoy the lovely and colorful butterflies who come to visit. Butterflies living in your area are there naturally, and it is a good idea to do some research on the species of butterfly and the plants they prefer when planning your garden. If you would like to attract butterflies to your garden, remember that there are two reasons butterflies will come.

The first reason butterflies are attracted to your garden is for nectar. There are many flowers that are favorites of butterflies, but in general they like masses of same color flowers, preferring bright colors such as red, pink, purple, orange, and yellow. Butterflies have to land on the plant to sip the nectar, so cluster flowers and those with broad petals or leaves on which to perch make it possible for butterflies to feed.

The second reason butterflies will come to your garden is to find host plants on which to lay their eggs. Most species need specific host plants, because these are the food plant for their tiny caterpillars when they hatch. Host plants will be consumed, or at least chewed through greatly. Some gardeners prefer to locate host plants in a less visible area of the garden. Remember that butterflies are insects, and you should avoid using pesticides, or you will kill them, too. Also remember that in their natural life cycle, there can be a lot of chewing and eating damage done by caterpillars, and if you want the butterflies, the caterpillars are part of the cycle.