Butterfly Gardening

The simple, yet elegant beauty of butterflies adds a touch of wonder to even the most unimaginable landscape.

Attracting butterflies to your yard and garden is easy, but it involves developing a habitat that meets the butterflies' needs for growth and development. A habitat suitable for attracting butterflies must include shelter with some sunny areas and a supply of water and food.

A butterfly garden should be planted in a location sheltered from the wind. This helps butterflies in two ways: they are kept from being cooled by breezes and they don't have to expend extra energy fighting wind currents as they try to feed.

Choose a sunny location. Butterflies need sun to keep their body warm enough to fly. Only when their body temperature is between 85 and 100 degrees can they fly well. When the air temperature is cooler, butterflies tend to bask in the sun to warm themselves. This is one reason you rarely see butterflies on cloudy days.

Don't use an insecticide in or near a butterfly garden. Butterflies are insects and insecticides can kill them.

The main food for butterflies is nectar from flowers. Use large splashes of color in your butterfly garden. Butterflies are first attracted to flowers by their color. Groups of red, orange and bright pink flowers are easier for butterflies to locate than isolated plants. Plan for continuous blooms throughout the growing season with plants such as azaleas and butterfly bushes. Be sure to provide a water source such as a birdbath.

Butterflies are also attracted to daylilies, black-eyed susans and lantanas.

To attract more butterflies in your garden, provide food for caterpillars as well. Caterpillars require a different menu than butterflies. Caterpillars are attracted to plants such as dill, parsley, sunflowers and tulip trees.