Butterfly Gardening
This Page is devoted to Butterfly Gardening
You can decide what aspect you want to help them with , as there are 2 factors to Butterflies and the plants you will choose.
1. Butterfly Nectar Plants - These are the plants that will draw the Butterflies to your garden in the first place. Some flowers attract them more then others and so you want to plant a few of the nectar plants.
2. Host Plants --- These are the plants the Butterflies will lay their eggs on and the caterpillars will munch on til they fatten up and go into their chrysalis. These are not the gorgeous plants in your yard so no fears you wont have any flowers. You will have plenty.
When you plant some of each in your garden you have now provided food for Mom and the nursery for her babies. And you get to watch as these caterpillars make the most amazing transformation in Nature. I used to set up Caterpillar habitats for Elementary School Classes. The children were always excited to see the cat's grow and then go into their chrysalis, only to emerge from the chrysalis as a beautiful Butterfly. I have the cards and letters to this day and will have to find the file to scan and share with you. Whether you are a child or an Adult, this is an amazing thing to witness.
All you need is to search google for butterflies in your area, this is how to search.
You type in your area, for me it is N.E. Florida Butterflies. Then you will find sites listing the Butterflies in your immediate area, or call your local nursery, as they will also know.
Then once you have established which Butterflies you have, go back to google,
Example: I have Blue Swallowtails around here so in google I would type:
Blue Swallowtail Butterfly Host and Larval Plants.
Google will give a list of sites to guide you which plants would draw them to your Garden.
Remember to make sure to have Host Plants, if you just get Larval plants the Butterflies might not find them as easily, not impossible for them, just more difficult.
Never use chemicals on these plants. The Caterpillars will ThankYou.
Then after about 6 weeks in Chrysalis, you will notice your garden seems to have more butterflies then normal, well it does. Your new babies are exploring their new home and looking for food.
So for a little extra effort and small expense, you have just helped a species to thrive, at least in your garden. But if we all did this then imagine the impact it would have in helping to preserve one of the most beautiful sights in your garden. I love my blooms and flowers but I truly enjoy the life that my garden supports, I sit and watch sometimes and just smile as I watch Bee's pollinating, Hummingbirds grabbing a quick snack, Butterflies fluttering around my garden just riding the wind, the frogs hiding in my plants everywhere, the birds coming to the feeders as the other birds wait on a nearby branch of a tree for their turn at the feeder. Isn't that what a true garden is for?
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