| In order to attract butterflies to your garden you | | | | butterflies need food to survive. Since caterpillars |
| need to provide for them what they need. | | | | can't travel far, butterflies will lay their eggs on |
| Generally, butterflies look for two things in a | | | | plants which they will use as food. Most species of |
| garden, food and host plant where they can lay | | | | caterpillars are particular about the type of plants |
| their eggs. If these two things are present in your | | | | they can eat. If the egg was laid on a plant which |
| garden your chances of attracting butterflies | | | | caterpillars can't eat, the caterpillar hatching from |
| greatly increases. | | | | that egg will not survive. |
| Keep your garden design simple. Butterflies are | | | | Some host plants include: Queen Anne's Lace, Wild |
| attracted to large massings of similarly colored | | | | Cherry, Yellow Poplar Spicebush, Sassafras, Birch, |
| flowers. It has been shown that they prefer pink, | | | | Elm, Hollyhock, Artemisia, Snapdragon, Heliotrope, |
| purple, red and yellow flowers. Create a garden | | | | Aspen, Poplar, Aspen, Hollyhock, Rose of Sharon, |
| which will bloom from spring until fall, this way | | | | Blue Lupine, Viburnum and Honeysuckle. |
| you'll attract all season long. | | | | Many native trees and other plants found in and |
| A successful butterfly garden provides those | | | | around our yards are host plants for caterpillars. |
| flowers which are suited to their eating habits. | | | | However, there are a variety of plants that can |
| Since butterflies need to land in order to eat, they | | | | be included in a garden that are excellent host |
| prefer flowers with large flat petals or those | | | | plants. |
| flowers which are tubular. They also like to warm | | | | One issue some gardeners find somewhat |
| their wings on cold morning so providing large flat | | | | troublesome is the fact that though they're |
| stone in a sunny spot may draw butterflies to the | | | | successful in attracting many butterflies, the |
| gardens. If fact, as a general rule, butterflies | | | | caterpillars eat the foliage of their garden plants. |
| prefer sunny locations. | | | | One solution to this problem is to plant a small |
| Some nectar plants include: Aster, Butterfly | | | | separate garden with butterfly attracting species |
| Weed, Ironweed, Purple Coneflower, Sumacs, | | | | of plants or to place those plants which attract |
| Joe-pye-weeds, Milkweeds, Black-eyed Susan, | | | | butterflies toward the back of the garden. |
| Phlox, Cardinal Flower, Sunflowers, Sweet | | | | Creating a garden which attracts butterflies has |
| Pepperbush, Coreopsis, Verbena, Goldenrod, | | | | positive effect on the environment; you're |
| Blazing Stars, Butterfly Bush and Pickerlweed. | | | | providing a new habitat for butterflies and well as |
| Along with food in the garden, butterflies require a | | | | beneficial insects and other wildlife. While butterflies |
| place to lay their eggs. While not providing this | | | | will thrive and will benefit the most from your |
| won't completely discourage butterflies from | | | | efforts you're also providing years of enjoyment |
| visiting your garden, you'll have more success if | | | | for both yourself and visitors to your garden. |
| you do. The caterpillars which are produced by | | | | |