Butterfly Garden

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Butterfly Garden Basics

One of the joys of summer is watching butterflies visit your garden. You’ll enjoy them even more by planting flowers that attract them. The main food of adult butterflies is flower nectar, and some flowers contain more nectar than others. When planning a garden:

• Plant nectar sources at various heights (smaller butterflies stay low, while larger species prefer higher blooms).
• Group several of each flower species to maximize attraction.
• Choose plants that bloom in sequence for a long season.

Recommended Nectar Plants

Shrubs

• Lilacs and native Ceanothus (early bloomers).
• Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii): purple plumes in summer.
• Bluebeard (Caryopteris): sky-blue flowers from late summer into fall.

Perennials

• Spring: Purple rock cress (Aubrieta), chives, forget-me-nots.
• Summer: Gloriosa daisies (Rudbeckia), coreopsis, Shasta daisies, blanket flower (Gaillardia), purple coneflower (Echinacea), sunflowers, lavender, milkweed (Asclepias), pincushion flowers (Scabiosa), bee balm (Monarda), summer phlox, yarrows (Achillea), catnip, verbena, red valerian (Centranthus).
• Fall: Asters (e.g., Michaelmas daisy), showy sedum (Sedum spectabilis).

Annuals

• Marigolds, ageratum, cosmos, heliotrope, verbena, zinnias (provide varying heights and long bloom seasons).

Caterpillar Host Plants

True butterfly gardening requires host plants for egg-laying and caterpillar food. These plants often differ from nectar sources:

• Herbs: Parsley, dill.
• Weeds: Clover, plantain.
• Trees: Birch, poplar, willow.

Avoid heavy insecticide use, as it can harm caterpillars and adult butterflies.

Additional Tips

• Provide still water (e.g., birdbaths or wet gravel for swallowtails).
• Experiment with other butterfly-attracting plants to see which species visit your garden.

The butterfly garden is a fun and rewarding project for all ages.