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The Holistic Gardening Series: Butterfly Gardening
One of the hottest themes in gardening today is the Butterfly Garden.  Simply put, Butterfly Gardens are those gardens that attract and support different species of butterflies. I suppose that a true Butterfly Garden not only attracts mature butterflies, but also their larvae. Some of the plants will be attractive to butterflies, while others are necessary as food sources for their larvae, or caterpillars. For the sole purpose of attracting butterflies, the garden scheme can be quite easy enough to set up. There are numerous plants that gardeners can incorporate into their gardens to attract butterflies. However, those butterflies have to come from somewhere! A truly complete Butterfly Garden will also include some host plants to help various species of butterflies to grow successfully from the larval stage to maturity.
I personally feel that all aspects of butterfly gardening are fascinating. I also realize that the last thing many gardeners want in their gardens is a group of creepy crawlies eating up the plants. It sort of goes against the grain of gardening, at first glance. But, it does help to develop the perspective that by creating a butterfly habitat we are creating a haven for some of Nature's most beautiful creatures. We can compromise by locating the plants that sustain the adult butterflies in the main garden areas while keeping the host plant collection in an area away from the regular garden spots.
If you provide host plants, plants for the mature butterflies, and other conditions that are attractive to butterflies, you can be rewarded with the beauty of these creatures. You should be able to observe more than a few casual browsers or "fly-throughs" in your garden.
There are many plants that attract mature butterflies including, naturally, the Butterflly Bush. There are other plants that are useful additions to a butterfly garden. Without going into a detailed description of every single plant that can be grown, I will list some of the more easily found plants that can be grown to attract butterflies and moths:
| Heliotrope (annual) |
Gaillardia (perennial) |
| Verbena (annual) |
Coreopsis (perennial) |
| Purple Coneflower (perennial) |
Petunia (annual) |
| Mints (perennial herb) |
Marigold (annual) |
| Monarda (perennial) |
Sedum (perennial) |
| Lilac (bush) |
Cherry trees |
| Aster (perennial) |
Plum trees |
| Daylilies (perennial) |
Sweet Pepperbush |
| Lavender (perennial) |
Buttonbush |
| Black Eyed Susan (perennial) |
Four O'Clocks (annual) |
| Liatris (perennial) |
Nicotiana alata (annual) |
There are many more plants that will attract adult butterflies and moths. Some of the host plants for the developing larvae include:
| Dill (herb) |
Gaillardia (perennial) |
| Verbena (annual) |
Dutchman's Pipes (vine) |
| Parsley (herb) |
Locust tree |
| Anise (herb) |
Sedum (perennial) |
| Marigold (annual) |
Oak trees |
| Milkweed (all types) |
Birch trees |
| Violets (perennial) |
Spicebush |
| Cabbage/cole crops |
Sedges (perennial) |
| Senna (perennial) |
Carrots and relatives |
| Hollyhock (biennial/perennial) |
Mallow (perennial) |
Again, there are many other host plants available. Some of the herbs used as annuals are biennial, meaning that they generally flower and seed in the second year of life. Parsley and carrots are two examples.
When siting a butterfly garden, pick a sunny spot, protected by windbreaks. This will help keep the butterflies from having to contend with the breezes while they are pursuing their activities.
One thing that also helps when trying to grow nectar producing plants is to keep in mind that butterflies will flock to a larger grouping of plants as opposed to having a planting of only one or two plants of a give variety. For example, try to have a large grouping of purple coneflowers.
butterflies like to drink out of mud pools. Their reason is to gain salts and minerals from the mud, similar to our taking mineral supplements. Anyway, by giving them a moist area that is shallow, you can observe butterflies taking "mud baths".
Overripe fruit will attract butterflies. I would place these away from the patio area, however, as I am sure other unwelcome guests will flock to the fruit as well, such as yellow jackets!
As for those lovely butterfly houses,they really don't do that much for butterflies. Give them shrubs for shelter, and they will appreciate it. Of course, spiders and other critters will appreciate the butterfly house! Oh well, look at the bright side: Butterfly houses do make a great focal point for the garden!
Butteflies can be a source of fascination and entertainment. It is always a pleasure to see these beautiful creatures in the garden. It is one of those little blessings that makes the more mundane chores such as weeding not so tedious when one is working in the garden and sees these lovely insects. Try to grow a few plants to attract and sustain these "Flying Flowers"!
Page Last Updated February 25, 2006
Copyright 2001-2006, Marilyn K. Burns. All Rights Reserved
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