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One of the more pleasurable joys when it comes to gardening is the satisfaction received from watching the numerous beneficial insects, birds, and other animals that visit your yard. There is an undeniable satisfaction in seeing a songbird such as a bluebird or goldfinch singing away on a fence post or watching bumblebees heavily loaded with pollen buzzing around from flower to flower in your garden. Gardeners often appreciate nature more than most people typically do and will put up shelters and feeding stations for wildlife. Creating a garden for butterflies may take some planning and work, but it will pay big dividends in the enjoyment you and your family receives.

Butterflies can be easily attracted to your garden provided you supply them with the right types of food and habitat they need. Butterflies are attracted to brightly colored flowers and typically find their food (nectar) by sight. Flowers that are bright red or orange seem to attract butterflies the best, however, just like children, they have their own individual tastes as to what they like best. Some butterflies eagerly visit almost every available flower in a garden, while others may stop at only a selected few. Some butterflies such as swallowtails will form "puddle clubs" when there are wet areas within a garden.

People typically label many plants as "weeds." Keep in mind that a weed is just a misunderstood wildflower. Spraying herbicides to get rid of weeds destroys many of the important plants that butterfly caterpillars feed on thereby defeating the purpose of the butterfly garden!

An experienced butterfly gardener knows that some pest insects in a healthy garden are nothing to worry about. When pest insects become out of balance in a garden setting that is when damage is likely to occur. Spraying pesticides around the garden is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. Such chemicals harm your friendly butterflies, along with their eggs and larvae, as well as many other beneficial insects. The best solution to dealing with harmful pests is to allow natural methods such as predacious insects like ladybug beetle larvae, lacewings, and even garden spiders to help control pest outbreaks.

Large or small, a true butterfly garden is a garden that is both attractive to the adult butterflies and encourages them to lay their eggs on specific host plants that provide food for the rapidly growing caterpillars (larvae). Butterfly larvae are typically not the voracious pests that their cousins the gypsy moth and tent caterpillars are. However, a butterfly gardener knows to expect that some defoliation will occur on those plants that butterfly larvae feed on.

A butterfly garden can be as simple as a small border of flowers along a walkway or driveway or it can cover large plots of land throughout a yard. Garden plantings are best located in sunny locations as well as protected from strong winds. The selection of plants should be diverse to encourage a wider range of butterflies to come visit. The selection of plants ideally should fit the geographical location that you live in. It is very hard to attract a butterfly native to California if you live in New York! A well-planned garden with the right types of plants can even flourish in areas known for droughts. The butterflies care only for the proper types of plants provided to them. They do not care much about aesthetics so a garden does not have to be a formally laid out one or a neatly kept precisely trimmed one, feel free to let it "go wild."

If there is one plant that should be considered a must for any butterfly garden it is the shrub known as Buddleia, the butterfly bush. The butterfly bush comes in many colors and is a favorite with butterfly visitors. In addition to the butterfly bush, many other plants make for fantastic butterfly "nectar stops." There will be some plants on the list below recognized as common weeds, while others are more traditional garden plants.

Caterpillars

You will want to encourage your butterflies to produce the next generation of flying rainbows. Your butterfly garden will need plants that welcome munching on by caterpillars. The following is a summary list of host plants that various types of butterflies lay their eggs on for their respective larvae to chow down on.

Monarch and Queen Asclepias -- Milkweed, Butterflyweed Swallowtails Aristolochia -- Pipe Vine, Dutchman's-pipe Artemesia -- Sagebrush Carrot family: parsley, parsnip, celery, carrot, dill, anise, fennel, Queen Anne's lace Lindera -- Spicebush Sweetbay Virginia snakeroot Trees: Orange, Tulip poplar, Cottonwood , Wild cherry, Willow, Sassafras, Magnolia, Prickly ash, Hop, Paw Paw Tortoise shells and Mourning Cloak Urtica -- Nettle Trees: Birch, Aspen, Elm, Tulip poplar, Willow, Hackberry Fritillaries and Zebra Passiflora -- Passion flower Sedum -- Stoncrop Viola -- Violets Comma, Question Mark, Zephyr, Fawn Ribes -- Currant Urtica -- Nettle Trees: Elm, Birch, Alder, Hackberry Thistle butterflies (Ladies, Red Admiral) Alcea -- Hollyhock Arctium -- Burdock Cirsium -- Thistle Malva -- Mallow Urtica -- Nettle Viceroy, Red-spotted Purple, White Admiral Trees: Birch, Aspen, Tulip poplar, Wild cherry, Willow Buckeyes Antirrhinum -- Snapdragon Aureolaria -- False foxglove Linaria -- Toadflax Lythrum -- Loosestrife Plantago -- Plantain Sedum -- Stonecrop Hackberry, Emperor, and Snout butterflies Hackberry tree Hairstreaks Ceanothus -- New Jersey teas Hibiscus -- Mallow Macha -- Cotton Malva -- Mallow Medicago -- Alfalfa Trifolium -- Clover Vicia -- Vetch Viscum -- Mistletoe Trees -- Oak, Hickory, Willow, Red cedar

Sulphurs and Whites Baptisa -- False indigo Cassia -- Senna Cleome -- Spider flower Medicago -- Alfalfa Mustard family: mustards, turnip, cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, radish Taraxacum -- dandelion Trifolium -- Clover Tropaeolum -- Nasturtium Vicia -- Vetch Other legumes Checkerspots Antirrhinum -- Snapdragon Aster Aureolaria -- False foxglove Chelone -- turtlehead Plantago -- Plantain Crescents Aster Cirsium -- Thistle Elfins Kalmia -- Sheep laurel Sedum -- Stoncrop Vaccinium -- blueberry bush Pine tree Coppers Arnica Eriogonum -- Wild buckwheat Oxyria -- Mountain sorrel Persicaria -- Knotweed, Snakeweed Rumex -- Sheep sorrel, Dock Blues Dogwood tree Legume flowers Medicago -- Alfalfa Mesquite Stachys -- Betony, Woundwort, Hedge nettle, Lamb's ears Taraxacum -- Dandelion Trifolium -- Clover Viburnum Vaccinium -- blueberry bush Wisteria flowers Skippers Alcea -- Hollyhock Chenopodium -- Pigweed, Lamb's quarters Cynodon -- Bermuda grass Digitaria -- Crabgrass Malva -- Mallow Medicago -- Alfalfa Trifolium -- Clover Wisteria Other legumes Trees: Locust, Aspen, Willow, Tulip poplar Satyrs and Nymphs tall meadow grasses along wood margins

Books and Websites

The following is a short list of books and websites that you can learn more about butterflies:

Books:

1. How to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies by John V. Dennis and Mathew Tekulsky
2. Peterson First Guide: Caterpillars by Amy Bartlett Wright
3. Golden Guide to Butterflies and Moths by Robert T. Mitchell and Herbert S. Zim
4. An Instant Guide to Butterflies by Pamela Forey and Cecilia Fitzsimons
5. The Butterflies Through Binoculars Series by Jeffrey Glassberg:
   • The West: A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North America
   • The East: A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Eastern North America
   • A Field and Finding Guide to Butterflies in the Boston-New York-Washington Region
   • A Field, Finding, and Gardening Guide to Butterflies in Florida

Websites:

1. Butterflies of North America - includes state distribution maps and photos
2. Monarch Watch
3. North American Butterfly Association
4. The Butterfly site.com
5. TheButterfly Website

The contents of this page was created on August 18, 2001. Additional photographs added August 22, 2001.

The Wyvern's Lair ©1997-2001