Enticing Butterflies into Your Backyard Haven
Creating a Butterfly-Friendly Garden: A Guide to Attracting and Supporting Monarchs and More
Butterflies, with their vibrant wings and graceful flight, are a delightful addition to any garden. Not only do they bring beauty, but they also play a crucial role as pollinators in the natural world. If you're looking to attract these winged wonders to your outdoor space, here's a guide to creating a butterfly-friendly garden.
Choosing the Right Plants
Butterflies have a keen eye for nectar-rich flowers in colours they find appealing, such as pink, red, orange, white, yellow, and purple. To create a thriving butterfly haven, select a variety of these plants for your garden.
- Garden Phlox - These plants produce clusters of purple, red, or orange flowers that butterflies adore.
- Blanket Flower - A drought-resistant plant that produces brightly colored, showy flowers attractive to butterflies.
- Butterfly Weed (Milkweed) - This plant is not only nectar-rich but also the main food source of Monarch butterfly caterpillars. It's worth noting that Monarch butterflies are particularly fond of milkweed as it contains toxins that discourage predators.
- Goldenrod - Despite being mistaken for causing hay fever, goldenrod produces fragrant flowers teeming with pollen, making it a favourite among butterflies.
- New England Aster - This plant is a great choice for attracting butterflies, especially during the monarch migration.
Providing Essential Elements
To attract and keep butterflies, provide them with food, shelter, and safety.
- Food - In addition to the nectar-rich flowers, consider planting native plants with staggered blooming periods for continuous nectar.
- Shelter - A simple log pile can provide shelter for butterflies and butterfly larvae.
- Safety - Avoid using pesticides to protect beneficial insects like butterflies.
Additional Tips
- Arrange plants in clusters for better visibility to butterflies.
- Include some sheltered spots and flat stones for butterflies to bask in the sun.
- Planting dense shrubs and bushy flowering plants can serve as a pit stop for tired butterflies. Some recommended shrubs include Viburnum, sweet spire, and elderberry.
Annual and Perennial Options
Annuals and perennials such as Pentas, cosmos, lantana, petunias, zinnias, passionflower, and sweet peas ensure a steady supply of nectar for butterflies.
By following these tips and creating a garden rich in nectar-producing plants, you can establish a vibrant and sustainable butterfly garden that supports butterflies throughout their life cycle.
[1] Butterfly Garden Basics [2] Butterfly Garden Plants [3] Butterfly Garden Design
- To create a more inviting home-and-garden for butterflies, consider incorporating a variety of plants from the 'Butterfly Garden Plants' list, such as garden phlox, blanket flower, butterfly weed (milkweed), goldenrod, and new England aster.
- In your lifestyle choices, opt for a gardening approach that supports butterflies, which includes offering a diverse range of nectar-rich plants, providing shelter and safety, and avoiding pesticides.
