Do you want a garden full of fluttering butterflies? Unlike most insects, butterflies are welcome garden guests. For most gardeners, watching vibrantly colored butterfly wings dance around the yard is better than sports.
Butterflies aren’t only stunningly beautiful though. Butterflies put their wings to work and pollinate flowering plants for healthy outdoor ecosystems.
Portraits of painted butterfly patterns are worthy of endless “likes” on Instagram.
Climate change is destroying butterfly habitats and threatening the survival of over 17,500 species. Human use of pesticides and herbicides has already made several butterflies extinct. Monarch, Miami blue, Callippe silverspot, and Bartram’s hairstreak butterflies are a few endangered examples. Are you committed to saving these enchanting insects before they vanish forever? Here are eight great gardening tips to attract beautiful butterflies into your habitat.
Gardening Tips
Plant Appealing Nectar-Rich Flowers
Butterflies rely on nectar for nutritious energy boosts. Research which native plants in your region will supply nectar snacks. Popular butterfly plants include buddleia, phlox, lantana, zinnia, and rudbeckia. For instance, milkweed provides a tasty meal for monarch butterflies. Avoid tubular and cone-shaped blooms that are difficult for butterflies to drink from. Planting flat-topped flowers of various sizes and heights in tiered levels will help attract butterflies.
Choose a Bright Garden Color Palette
Butterflies shouldn’t be the only colorful inhabitants of your garden. Butterflies will likely flutter away from overly green gardens with dark, drab colors. Unleash your inner landscape designer and create an appealing color palette. Butterflies love bright shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink. Butterflies are notoriously near-sighted creatures. Blurry butterfly eyes won’t see a couple colorful flowers from far away. So, plant big blossoming clusters to grab a butterfly’s attention.
Plan a Butterfly Garden Bloom Schedule
Randomly buying every flower with a “butterfly-friendly” tag won’t work long-term. Butterflies fly on nectar searches their whole adult lives. Planting flowers that only bloom in June or July won’t keep butterflies hanging around. Therefore, spread out bloom times to accommodate butterflies continuously. Pair early and late bloomers with summer flowers to cover every season. A variety of bright perennials and annuals can attract several butterfly species.
Give Baby Caterpillars Bountiful Bites
The best butterfly gardens serve the insect’s entire life cycle. Once butterfly eggs hatch, a very hungry caterpillar emerges. Attract beautiful butterflies by feeding the adorable, fuzzy caterpillar crawlers first. Scatter green, leafy plants around your bright blooms to nourish caterpillars. Many caterpillars enjoy munching on milkweed, parsley, clover, alfalfa, cudweed, and grasses. Google the types of butterflies you see populating your garden. Pick host plants their youngsters would like.
Sacrifice Some Garden Shade
Beautiful butterflies shine in the sun’s spotlight. Butterflies are cold-blooded invertebrates that require warmth from ultraviolet rays. Shady garden nooks are often too chilly for butterfly bodies. Nectar-rich plants generally necessitate lots of sunshine too. Survey your property and develop a sun map. Then, position your butterfly garden in the sunniest, hottest side of your yard. Transplant butterfly-friendly blooms away from overhanging trees that block sunshine.
Protect Butterflies From Wind Gusts
Imagine navigating the sky as a small, four-winged insect. Strong gales would blow your journey off course. Indeed, gusty winds can ground a butterfly’s flight. Butterflies don’t want to fight wind currents when feeding. If your garden tends to be windy, butterflies won’t stop for a layover. Thus, line your garden with wind-breaking shrubbery. Install tall fencing that buffers butterflies from breezes. Strategically planting trees to redirect airflow from butterfly gardens also helps.
Build a Butterfly Oasis for Basking
Butterflies undertake long, exhausting migrations of up to 7,500 miles. Butterflies deserve some rest and recuperation once reaching their destination. Rent out garden space for butterflies to relax their tired wings. Give butterflies flat rocks to perch on and bask in the sunlight. Offer a butterfly feeder to effortlessly suck up nectar. Also, construct small butterfly baths for the insects to drink water. Bury shallow bowls in your garden to mix rainwater with mud or sand and hydrate butterflies.
Evict Enemies That Eat Butterflies
Attracting butterflies means keeping their predators at bay. Take extra precautions to make your garden a butterfly save haven. Relocate your bird feeders to the opposite side of your yard. The same goes for birdbaths that welcome serial caterpillar killers. Plant butterfly gardens away from ponds with frog or toad populations. Trap mice, rats, and other rodents that assassinate landed butterflies. Hire pest control specialists for deterring wasps and egg-eating ants too.
Gardeners can use various strategies to create a popular butterfly hotspot. Butterflies love fluttering around clusters of vivid, fragrant flowers with full sun. Transform your garden into a butterfly hotel with plentiful food, water, and shelter.
Above all, use only organic gardening practices. Steer clear of toxic pesticides that kill all insects, including beautiful butterflies. Elect natural pest control means like jar traps and pheromone lures instead. Use these great gardening tips to catch more glimpses of butterflies and help conserve butterfly species.
