Attracting Butterflies To Your Garden Beautiful Undertaking
Butterflies are the gems of the insect world. Their graceful flight and bright colors never fail to delight children and adults alike and you can easily attract butterflies to your yard.
Incorporating into your garden the right plants for the adults and their larvae will draw in both native and migrating species, and if the right foods are present, they'll probably hang around and visit for many days. Fortunately, there are many plants that not only are good for butterflies, but also enhance the garden with beautiful and abundant blooms.
It is important to provide food plants not only for the adult butterfly, but also for the less-attractive larval stage. By supplying these types of plants, butterflies will be attracted to your yard to lay their eggs for future generations.
Caterpillars usually need different food plants than the adults, so having a variety of plants increases the diversity of butterflies attracted to your yard since adults are drawn to larval food plants on which to lay their eggs.
Larvae feed on the leaves and flowers of shrubs, trees, annual and perennials, while the adults require the nectar of flowers and other sweet things such as decaying fruit and wet wood.
Trees that have been riddled by yellow-bellied sapsuckers and are bleeding are favorite feeding spots for certain butterflies such as the attractive mourning cloak.
Butterflies also like damp areas where they can sip water and dissolved salts from the mud. This is called "puddling."
You can make your own puddle in a sunny spot near your flower garden where the soil will stay damp and visiting butterflies can easily spot it.
Sink a shallow tray, fill it with garden soil, and perhaps enrich it with a bit of manure. Keep the soil constantly moist.
You may not attract any butterflies, but when you do see them resting elsewhere on a muddy patch of ground, you'll know what they are doing.
Overripe fruit will also draw many butterflies. A shallow pan on the edge of the garden filled with slices of melon or banana will attract a lot of attention. Try using cantaloupe rinds clipped to a coat hanger and hung in a sunny spot for drawing butterflies. Nearly any kind of overripe fruit, especially if it is fermenting, will host a crowd of bibbers.
Some butterflies are drawn to very specific plants, while others will visit nearly any attractive flower that provides nectar. Many species need very particular plants on which to lay their eggs. For example, the beautiful orange, silver and black Gulf Fritillary butterflies lay their eggs on passionflower or maypop vines (Passiflora) and it would be unusual to not find the rusty red caterpillars munching away on the leaves or the adults flitting around. Passionflower vines are easy to grow and have beautiful flowers. But beware -- these have a tendency to sucker and spread.
Another vine that attracts a particular kind of butterfly for larval food is the Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolchia). Its peculiar flower looks kind of like a pipe. Dutchman's Pipe attracts the large, dark-green Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly that looks very similar to the Spicebush Swallowtail that visits a wide variety of nectar plants.
Plants in the carrot family (Umbelliferae), like fennel and dill, are magnets to the Eastern Black Swallowtail for a larval food. Plant several of them as the caterpillars can devour them up quickly. Bronze fennel is a particularly attractive addition to a flower bed, so it serves double duty!
Obviously, if you are going to attract the caterpillars to get the adults, you will need to tolerate some (or a lot of) loss of foliage. The rewards are well worth it if you enjoy drawing a wide range of butterflies to your yard.
Different species will be present in different years, at various times of the year, and sometimes great migrations of one species will pass through the area over a two or three day period.
When selecting flowers for butterflies, try to get the old fashioned types, especially single-flowered types. Double flowers tend to have less nectar.
Here are a few of the many different kinds of plants that should attract butterflies to your yard:
One of my favorites is the Texas native perennial called mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea). This tough plant is almost constantly in bloom spring through fall and attracts a wide variety of butterflies. Actually, many of the other Salvias or sages are favored nectar plants. Plant in full sun for best bloom and growth.
Lantana is another great perennial. Not only is lantana a good butterfly plant, but it comes in a wide range of growth habit and colors -- a perfect designer plant. Horticulturists at Texas A&M at Overton had a lantana variety trial several years ago and counted over 20 species of butterflies and moths visiting the riot of color. Full sun and well drained soil a must for the most flowers.
For those of you with well-drained soil, the butterfly weed (Asclepias) is a winner, as the name implies. Its bright orange or red to yellow flowers attract scores of different types of butterflies while it is in bloom, especially monarch butterflies. Master Gardeners have planted a number of butterfly weed plants in the IDEA Garden in the Tyler Rose Garden. The IDEA Garden has now been designated as a Monarch Waystation, part of a program sponsored by Monarch Watch (http://monarchwatch.org).
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) is a popular perennial with large spikes of fragrant flowers that grows on a large bushy plant. Summer phlox (Phlox panniculata) is a great summer blooming perennial that attracts many kinds of butterflies.
Zinnias are annuals which are easily grown from seed, and available as transplants. They come in a wide range of bright colors which attract many types of butterflies. Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) is another great annual for sunny garden beds.
Ixora and Pentas are favorites of many tropical types of butterflies and are frequently used in butterfly houses at botanical gardens. You can plant them as annuals around your home for season-long color.
Other landscape plants attractive to adult butterflies include azaleas, Abelia, Carolina jessamine, asters, cardinal flower, gomphrena, tall sedum (Sedum 'Meteor'), Turk's cap, and verbena.
Heliotrope (Heliotropium) is reported to be a good nectar plant. It produces a chemical that is important in butterfly communication signals called pheromones. Heliotrope has attractive blue flowers and hold up well in East Texas. The native Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium) also contains these desirable chemicals.
This is by no means a complete list of landscape plants. Just some hints to get you started.
Vegetable gardeners know that the cole crops, like broccoli and cabbage, are the preferred food plant for the sulfurs, cabbage looper and cabbage butterfly larvae. The adults range from white to bright, sulfur-yellow and are familiar sights in the garden. Fennel, parsley, and mint attracts the large swallowtail butterflies, and beans will attract the pretty little hairstreak.
The North Central Texas Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (www.naba.org) posts a list on the internet of larval food and nectar plants, along with common butterflies for the area, available at: http://www.naba.org/ftp/nctx.pdf
There are many more butterfly plants. For more information on lists of plants for butterflies and related topics, book stores and libraries have books on butterfly gardening. A particularly good book for our region is "Butterfly Gardening for the South" by Geyata Ajilvsgi. There also field guides available for identifying butterflies and caterpillars to increase your gardening knowledge and pleasure.
Incorporating into your garden the right plants for the adults and their larvae will draw in both native and migrating species, and if the right foods are present, they'll probably hang around and visit for many days. Fortunately, there are many plants that not only are good for butterflies, but also enhance the garden with beautiful and abundant blooms.
It is important to provide food plants not only for the adult butterfly, but also for the less-attractive larval stage. By supplying these types of plants, butterflies will be attracted to your yard to lay their eggs for future generations.
Caterpillars usually need different food plants than the adults, so having a variety of plants increases the diversity of butterflies attracted to your yard since adults are drawn to larval food plants on which to lay their eggs.
Larvae feed on the leaves and flowers of shrubs, trees, annual and perennials, while the adults require the nectar of flowers and other sweet things such as decaying fruit and wet wood.
Trees that have been riddled by yellow-bellied sapsuckers and are bleeding are favorite feeding spots for certain butterflies such as the attractive mourning cloak.
Butterflies also like damp areas where they can sip water and dissolved salts from the mud. This is called "puddling."
You can make your own puddle in a sunny spot near your flower garden where the soil will stay damp and visiting butterflies can easily spot it.
Sink a shallow tray, fill it with garden soil, and perhaps enrich it with a bit of manure. Keep the soil constantly moist.
You may not attract any butterflies, but when you do see them resting elsewhere on a muddy patch of ground, you'll know what they are doing.
Overripe fruit will also draw many butterflies. A shallow pan on the edge of the garden filled with slices of melon or banana will attract a lot of attention. Try using cantaloupe rinds clipped to a coat hanger and hung in a sunny spot for drawing butterflies. Nearly any kind of overripe fruit, especially if it is fermenting, will host a crowd of bibbers.
Some butterflies are drawn to very specific plants, while others will visit nearly any attractive flower that provides nectar. Many species need very particular plants on which to lay their eggs. For example, the beautiful orange, silver and black Gulf Fritillary butterflies lay their eggs on passionflower or maypop vines (Passiflora) and it would be unusual to not find the rusty red caterpillars munching away on the leaves or the adults flitting around. Passionflower vines are easy to grow and have beautiful flowers. But beware -- these have a tendency to sucker and spread.
Another vine that attracts a particular kind of butterfly for larval food is the Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolchia). Its peculiar flower looks kind of like a pipe. Dutchman's Pipe attracts the large, dark-green Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly that looks very similar to the Spicebush Swallowtail that visits a wide variety of nectar plants.
Plants in the carrot family (Umbelliferae), like fennel and dill, are magnets to the Eastern Black Swallowtail for a larval food. Plant several of them as the caterpillars can devour them up quickly. Bronze fennel is a particularly attractive addition to a flower bed, so it serves double duty!
Obviously, if you are going to attract the caterpillars to get the adults, you will need to tolerate some (or a lot of) loss of foliage. The rewards are well worth it if you enjoy drawing a wide range of butterflies to your yard.
Different species will be present in different years, at various times of the year, and sometimes great migrations of one species will pass through the area over a two or three day period.
When selecting flowers for butterflies, try to get the old fashioned types, especially single-flowered types. Double flowers tend to have less nectar.
Here are a few of the many different kinds of plants that should attract butterflies to your yard:
One of my favorites is the Texas native perennial called mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea). This tough plant is almost constantly in bloom spring through fall and attracts a wide variety of butterflies. Actually, many of the other Salvias or sages are favored nectar plants. Plant in full sun for best bloom and growth.
Lantana is another great perennial. Not only is lantana a good butterfly plant, but it comes in a wide range of growth habit and colors -- a perfect designer plant. Horticulturists at Texas A&M at Overton had a lantana variety trial several years ago and counted over 20 species of butterflies and moths visiting the riot of color. Full sun and well drained soil a must for the most flowers.
For those of you with well-drained soil, the butterfly weed (Asclepias) is a winner, as the name implies. Its bright orange or red to yellow flowers attract scores of different types of butterflies while it is in bloom, especially monarch butterflies. Master Gardeners have planted a number of butterfly weed plants in the IDEA Garden in the Tyler Rose Garden. The IDEA Garden has now been designated as a Monarch Waystation, part of a program sponsored by Monarch Watch (http://monarchwatch.org).
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) is a popular perennial with large spikes of fragrant flowers that grows on a large bushy plant. Summer phlox (Phlox panniculata) is a great summer blooming perennial that attracts many kinds of butterflies.
Zinnias are annuals which are easily grown from seed, and available as transplants. They come in a wide range of bright colors which attract many types of butterflies. Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) is another great annual for sunny garden beds.
Ixora and Pentas are favorites of many tropical types of butterflies and are frequently used in butterfly houses at botanical gardens. You can plant them as annuals around your home for season-long color.
Other landscape plants attractive to adult butterflies include azaleas, Abelia, Carolina jessamine, asters, cardinal flower, gomphrena, tall sedum (Sedum 'Meteor'), Turk's cap, and verbena.
Heliotrope (Heliotropium) is reported to be a good nectar plant. It produces a chemical that is important in butterfly communication signals called pheromones. Heliotrope has attractive blue flowers and hold up well in East Texas. The native Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium) also contains these desirable chemicals.
This is by no means a complete list of landscape plants. Just some hints to get you started.
Vegetable gardeners know that the cole crops, like broccoli and cabbage, are the preferred food plant for the sulfurs, cabbage looper and cabbage butterfly larvae. The adults range from white to bright, sulfur-yellow and are familiar sights in the garden. Fennel, parsley, and mint attracts the large swallowtail butterflies, and beans will attract the pretty little hairstreak.
The North Central Texas Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (www.naba.org) posts a list on the internet of larval food and nectar plants, along with common butterflies for the area, available at: http://www.naba.org/ftp/nctx.pdf
There are many more butterfly plants. For more information on lists of plants for butterflies and related topics, book stores and libraries have books on butterfly gardening. A particularly good book for our region is "Butterfly Gardening for the South" by Geyata Ajilvsgi. There also field guides available for identifying butterflies and caterpillars to increase your gardening knowledge and pleasure.
FAQ
Search Forums
Log in
Register
