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Creating a butterfly garden is a little different from the standard flower garden, but that does not mean you need to be without any favorite flowers or fragrances. Many butterfly attractants are just as attractive to humans as they are to butterflies. Flower gardens are already naturally attractive to butterflies because they are always seeking sunny spaces with brightly colored, fragrant flowers.
Where you live always has a great deal of impact on your garden. Fortunately, when it comes to butterfly gardens, the NABA (North American Butterfly Association) has done much of the work for you by creating region specific brochures about butterflies and their attractants. Take a look before planting your garden. But here are the basics to get started.
Basking
There is almost nothing as important in attracting butterflies to your garden than bright sunlight. Butterflies thrive on sunlight. Butterflies are insects, and as such, they are cold blooded and need sunlight to heat their bodies to make them active. Just provide sunny spaces the butterflies will come to bask.
Butterflies also like a bit of water. This is especially important to remember in arid regions where natural sources of standing water are hard to find. Garden fixtures, like fountains, can provide places for butterflies when water is scarce. Butterflies are equally pleased with sun-warmed stepping-stones and little patches of run-off water than might remain around your garden or on a walkway.
Waterfalls really attract butterflies, the light sprinkle of water that lands on stone and dirt a bit away is ideal for basking butterflies as it allows them to warm their bodies and receive nourishment from mineral deposits within the water. Use a tall, decorative waterfall as a backdrop for a butterfly garden with a reasonable amount of space around it or use a smaller, more delicate water source like a watering can fountain in a tighter space. Watering can Fountains:
Try to arrange your garden in a very bright area of your yard. It is generally recommended that any area that you are thinking of placing a butterfly garden in should get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. If possible, enhance basking options for your butterflies with various pieces of garden statuary like an elegant birdbath. For birdbaths, visit:
Nectar is a major attractant for butterflies. Plant your highest nectar sources in the brightest sunlight since most butterflies only feed in the sun. Depending on where you live there are certain flowers that will help attract specific species. There are a few general hints available.
Butterflies are attracted to especially bright colors, and large patches of bright colors are more likely to catch their eye. Try planting clumps of vivid pink, red, orange and yellow flowers that will stand out in a sunny place.
Butterflies are also commonly fond of flowers with flat tops and relatively shallow throats. Butterflies reach into a flower to get at the nectar so flowers with shallow throats are easier for them.
A few specifics
Butterfly bush is an aptly named deciduous shrub and grows easily in many climates. There are quite a few varieties of Butterfly bush. It grows on long arching stems and produces clusters of tiny, fragrant flowers (rather like lilac). They flower in a wide range of bright colors and are relatively easy to grow.
If your soil is a little dry, Butterfly weed, also known as milkweed, will probably grow well and do much to attract a variety of butterflies. Most butterfly weed blooms late in the summer and is between one and three feet high. The perennial has red, orange and yellow flowers. Butterfly weed is also a host plant for several kinds of butterflies.
Growing
While you may be thinking that you can’t “grow” butterflies as you do flowers, you can grow the foods that feed caterpillars, which will then make your garden their home.
Host plants are essential to a butterfly garden if you are hoping to do more than just attract those that happen to be near. Many butterflies have short lives, so if you want your garden to be a flutter with them, the best bet is to help them grow yourself.
The previously mentioned butterfly weed is one of the most common host plants for monarch butterflies. Many of the plants that are the best host plants for butterflies are weeds, like Queen Anne’s Lace, nettle and thistle. Different species like different foods so make sure to provide the right food for the right butterfly. For best results, grow primarily native plants in your garden, this will attract butterflies in the area. Non-native plants may be harder to grow and there may not be butterflies in your area attracted to them. Whatever you do, don’t use pesticides in your butterfly garden. Pesticides will kill the butterflies you’ve been trying to attract as well as any other insects in your garden. Remember that you are planting host plants so that they become food for caterpillars so if they are being eaten they are doing their job.