| I grew up in the city surrounded by
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| | butterflies and plants that they love by
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| asphalt and concrete sidewalks, brick
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| | region.
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| buildings and vacant lots - but there was
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| | Northeastern N. America
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| no lack of nature or butterflies in my
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| | From W. Virginia up through Quebec and as
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| life. Amid the sprawl of a decaying urban
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| | far west as Indiana and Ohio
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| landscape, the overgrown vacant lots
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| | Butterflies: Swallowtails (black,
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| choked with 'weeds' attracted so many
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| | spicebush and tiger), Cabbage White,
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| butterflies that they would perch on my
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| | Pearl Crescent, Monarch, Buckeye,
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| shoulders and hands if I was still
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| | Red-spotted Purple, Great Spangled
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| enough. These 'accidental' butterfly
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| | Fritillary
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| gardens provided all the ingredients that
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| | Plants: Milkweed (monarchs), fennel,
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| butterflies require to congregate en
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| | parsley, carrot and dill (black
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| masse. These same ingredients can turn
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| | swallowtails), spicebush (spicebush
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| your garden into a fairy wonderland of
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| | swallowtails), nasturtium (cabbage
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| fluttering wings and color.
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| | white), violets (great spangled
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| Over the past thirty years, butterfly
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| | fritillary), willow, birch, beech, aspen,
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| gardening has become popular, both to
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| | wild cherry (many species)
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| attract the beautiful travelers and to
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| | Nectar Flowers: Buddleia, Heliotrope,
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| help preserve species of butterflies that
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| | Lantana, Milkweed, Mint, Pentas,
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| were dwindling due to human encroachment
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| | Porterweed, Verbena and Zinnias.
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| into their natural habitats. If you're
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| | Southeastern U.S.
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| planning a butterfly garden, it's
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| | Butterflies: Swallowtails (black,
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| important to keep in mind that there is
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| | spicebush, tiger and pipevine), Buckeye,
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| no one recipe for a successful garden.
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| | Pearl Crescent, Monarch, Cloudless
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| Butterfly species that are indigenous to
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| | Sulphur, Gulf Fritillary, Red-spotted
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| different areas are attracted to
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| | purple
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| different types of plants. In order to
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| | Plants: Fennel, carrot, spicebush, dill,
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| foster butterflies, you'll need to know
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| | parsley, pipevine (swallowtails), wild
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| the butterfly species that are found in
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| | cherry, poplar, sassafras, passiflora,
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| your area, and provide them with plants
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| | wild senna, asters, milkweed
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| that are favored food sources for adult
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| | Nectar Flowers: same as northeast
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| butterflies as well as those plants that
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| | Southern Florida
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| they prefer for laying their eggs and
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| | Butterflies: Polydamas swallowtail, giant
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| nourishing larva.
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| | swallowtail, zebra longwing, Julia, gulf
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| There are, however, some standards that
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| | fritillary, orange-barred sulphur,
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| apply to all butterfly gardens. Wherever
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| | cloudless sulphur, monarch, queen
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| you live and whatever butterflies you
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| | Plants: milkweed, wild senna, passiflora,
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| hope to attract, you'll attract more of
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| | wild lime, citrus, dutchman's pipe
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| them if you follow a few simple basics:
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| | Midwest
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| Plant flowers in clumps and drifts.
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| | Butterflies: Swallowtails, Buckeye,
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| Butterflies will flock to large expanses
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| | Cloudless Sulphur, Pearl Crescent,
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| of flowers in similar colors that bloom
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| | Cabbage White, Monarch, Viceroy
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| at the same time rather than to single
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| | Plants: Pipevines, fennel, carrot, dill,
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| plants with just a few blooms. A carpet
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| | parsley, violets, nasturtium, wild senna,
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| of violets, a sea of buttercups or a wide
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| | asters, snapdragon, verbena, cabbage,
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| open field full of Queen Anne's Lace is
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| | milkweed
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| sure to be visited by dozens of
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| | New Mexico, Texas
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| butterflies.
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| | Butterflies: Patch, Hackberry, Monarch,
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| Butterfly gardens need to provide both
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| | Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, Buckeye,
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| sun and shade.
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| | Cloudless Sulphur, Gulf Fritillary
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| Like all insects, butterflies are
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| | Plants: sunflowers, passiflora,
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| cold-blooded creatures. They thrive on
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| | hackberry, wild senna, milkweed, nettles,
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| warm sun, and will bask on flat rocks or
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| | asters
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| perch for long minutes on the branches of
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| | Arizona, California, Nevada
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| a high bush in the sunlight. At the same
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| | Butterflies: Western tiger swallowtail,
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| time, they need shade and shelter when
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| | anise swallowtail, two-tailed
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| the sun is too hot, or on cool, cloudy
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| | swallowtail, black swallowtail, pale
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| days. An area that gets bright sun for at
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| | swallowtail, pipevine swallowtail,
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| least 4-6 hours per day is the best spot
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| | cloudless sulphur, west coast lady,
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| for a butterfly garden, but don't forget
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| | Monarch, gulf fritillary
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| to include landscaping details that offer
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| | Plants: Fennel, carrots, parsley, dill,
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| shade.
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| | wild senna, wild plums, buckthorns, wild
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| Butterflies love puddles.
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| | cherries, wild lilacs, hollyhocks, ashes,
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| Add a sunken birdbath to your garden, or
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| | willows, aspens, poplars
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| provide a cluster of rocks that traps
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| | Western States and Manitoba,
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| rain water to give butterflies a cool
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| | Saskatchewan, Alberta
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| spot where they can indulge their love of
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| | Butterflies: Western tiger swallowtail,
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| standing water.
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| | pale swallowtail, cabbage white, striped
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| Regional Butterfly Species and Plants
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| | hairstreak, Wiedemeyer's Admiral,
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| Different species of butterflies frequent
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| | mourning cloak, monarch, great spangled
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| different parts of the country. You can
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| | fritillary, painted lady
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| find more information about which plants
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| | Plants: wild plums and cherries, aspen,
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| are best for your area at a local
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| | willow, poplar, sunflowers, buckthorns,
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| nursery, or the agricultural extension
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| | wild lilacs, nasturtium, blueberries,
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| unit at a local university. For quick
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| | ashes, violet, chokecherry.
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| reference, though, here's a short list of
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