Planting a Butterfly Garden

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Each type of butterfly feeds on only one or just a few specific kinds of plants during its caterpillar stage . . . the monarch, for example — one of the most commonly reared species — dines almost exclusively on milkweed leaves.
Each type of butterfly feeds on only one or just a few specific kinds of plants during its caterpillar stage . . . the monarch, for example — one of the most commonly reared species — dines almost exclusively on milkweed leaves.
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There are many species of Lepidoptera you can welcome into your garden with open arms and proper plants.
There are many species of Lepidoptera you can welcome into your garden with open arms and proper plants.

In this installment of our series designed to help you tell friend from foe in your garden, you’ll learn how to convince a particularly desirable group of visitors to set up residency.

Of all nature’s creatures, butterflies — the very essence of freedom and beauty — are surely among the most engaging. And since (unlike many insect types) there are few “pest’ species of Lepidoptera, you can welcome many of them into your garden with open arms. By including a few of their favorite nectar-bearing plants in your flower and/or vegetable patch, you can attract a virtual kaleidoscope of fluttering color throughout much of the year. (And incidentally, since bees are also lured by many of the same flora, you’ll be helping the pollination process, too.)

The butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a very aptly named three to eight-foot-tall shrub that’s loaded with long flower spikes from midsummer to fall’s first frost . . . and it attracts bees and butterflies like a botanical magnet throughout that period. The plant is killed to the ground each year in colder climates, but is semi evergreen where temperatures don’t fall much below freezing (in the latter case, you may have to cut the stems back nearly to the ground in early winter to keep the bush under control . . . but otherwise, it requires no special care at all). Butterfly bushes bloom in any of a variety of colors, including lilac, red, pink, white, purple, and blue.

Among the many other plants that lure butterflies are black-eyed Susan, rose of Sharon, gaillardia mignonette, cornflower, rosemary, columbine, forsythia, lavender, bee balm, primrose, sweet william, and scabiosa. When you’re planning your garden, try to select a mix of species — or to schedule succession plantings — not only to keep your patch in continuous bloom, but also to provide some color variation. Some butterflies have definite color preferences.

Once your visitors arrive, of course, you’ll likely want to learn more about them . . . and there are several excellent field guides on the market to help you do just that. A Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America, East of the Great Plains by Alexander B. Klots  is an excellent handbook, as is The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies by Robert Michael Pyle. In addition, a Golden Guide Series book entitled Butterflies and Moths by Robert Mitchell and Herbert S. Zim is a very reasonably priced paperback volume that’s adequate for most beginners. Check, too, to see if your library or a nearby natural history museum offers a guide specific to your region of the country.

  • Published on Nov 1, 1983
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