A Butterfly Garden is a flower garden designed to attract and retain butterflies. Many people in all areas of the world find flower gardens aesthetically pleasing, as well as relaxing. Butterflies also tend to lighten people's moods during the spring and summer months. With a butterfly garden, you can enjoy beautiful flowers and butterflies!

Butterfly gardens can attract many different species of butterflies and at the same time showcase many different species of flowers. A relatively new idea, Butterfly Gardens  have proven very popular with those who are fortunate enough to have one in their vicinity. People generally enjoy the same colorful flowers that butterflies prefer, so a butterfly garden can win many compliments from your neighbors, as well as from people in your community.

Requiring little maintenance and many positive rewards, Butterfly Gardens are a simple and easy way to improve the quality of life for a person and to beautify a community or a backyard.
 
 

Creating a Butterfly Garden

There are a few steps you need to take when preparing a Butterfly Garden. If these steps are followed correctly, and creative thought is put into your work, you can enjoy your very own Butterfly Garden.

The first step in creating a Butterfly Garden is to know which plants are adapted and attractive to butterflies in your area. Some butterflies are only attracted to specific plants while others will go to a variety of plants. Knowing what butterflies are found in your area and what plants they are attracted to is the first step in designing a Butterfly Garden.

Be sure to consider the plants as well. How well will they do in your area? If you are considering planting perennials, are they adapted to your location?
 
 

Butterflies

The traditional butterfly season is July through the end of September. While, the season varies depending on where you live, for most locations, the prime time for seeing butterflies is in the month of August. In North Dakota, there are a number of species of butterflies that are usually present every summer. Some of these are shown here.
 

Click on the images for a larger view. 

Monarch				Black Swallowtail
Checkered White					European Cabbage Butterfly
	Clouded Sulfur		Alfalfa Butterfly
Bronze Copper					Purplish Copper
	Gray Copper		Hackberry Butterfly
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail				Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
		Red Admiral	Painted Lady

These and other butterflies will flourish and enliven your garden if given the plants they need as adults, as well as plants for larval development. To attract butterflies to your Butterfly Garden, you need plants that are attract butterflies for their nectar or as a place to lay their eggs.

Butterfly Plants

There are two types of plants that you will need to ensure a good number of butterflies in your garden. First are nectar plants. These flowers provide food for butterflies that come to feed on the nectar.

The second type of plant is a plant for the larvae. Butterflies go to flowers to feed on nectar but they also need plants suitable for their eggs. The eggs hatch into caterpillars that need a food supply. Caterpillars eat the leaves of specific plants, so be sure to research what plants and caterpillars are found in your area. If you have both flowers for the butterflies to feed on and host plants for the larvae, the number of butterflies will be higher.

Both native and exotic plants will attract butterflies, but depending on where you live, different plants will be needed, as not all butterflies and plants thrive everywhere. This is why it is important to do research on your geographic region.

In North Dakota, there are many different types of flowers that attract butterflies. Some suggestions with brief information are  at the end of this guide. An important consideration when choosing plants is to have blooms all season long. Having a mix of plants that flower from spring to fall will attract butterflies all season and let you experience a variety of butterflies as the season progresses.

Planting

Once you have done the research on the butterflies in your area and the plants attractive to them, the fun part of your project is about to begin. Design the layout of your garden. It can be as simple as a windowsill flower box, or as elaborate as a backyard or vacant lot filled with flowers and butterflies.

If possible, design your garden with a southern exposure. Butterflies are more active in sunny spots and need to be warm to fly. Temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees are best for them. You should also consider what the different plants require in terms of sunlight and plant accordingly. Some plants need full sunlight, while others need partial shade. Plan so your plants will have the conditions they need and thrive. For best results, plant different species of flowers that bloom at different times, so you will always have flowers in full bloom from spring through fall.

You should also plant flowers in clusters by height, color, and type and to have the flowers in the cluster planted close together. As butterflies search for food, they see large patches of colorful flowers more easily than individual plants mixed among different colored flowers. You can always thin the plants if you need to, but planting them close together will not only attract more butterflies, but will look better in pictures.

Butterflies are very attracted to red, orange, yellow, and purple flowers. However, keep in mind that some of the brightest and largest flowers are bred for their large size. These flowers are NOT good choices for butterflies, because even though they look attractive to people as well as butterflies they have very little nectar for the butterflies to eat.

Trees around a garden are also important, because certain butterflies use trees to lay their eggs. Trees also give a little shade, which will be enjoyable for people as they are viewing the garden. However, too much shade from trees may not be a good idea, as some plants need direct sunlight and butterflies prefer warmth and sunlight.

When designing your garden, be creative! This is an excellent opportunity for you to show off your artistic side. Some larger Butterfly Gardens include park benches and sidewalks. Depending on the size of your garden, design it in a way you feel you and others would enjoy it the most.

Maintenance

Maintenance of a Butterfly Garden is fairly simple, as there is not much more work required than a regular flower garden. However, you should know the most important rule of a Butterfly Garden, which is…

Insecticides will also kill natural predators of pests. Instead of using insecticides or other pesticides, plant a diverse species of plants. This will aid in keeping pest levels down. Sometimes it's best to tolerate a few pests here and there, and when dealing with a Butterfly Garden to let nature run its course.
 
 

That's it!

Aside from the small amount of maintenance required, the Butterfly Garden is now yours to enjoy. To increase the attraction of your garden to butterflies, spread old bananas on the garden floor, as well as beer (of all things) in a pie pan. Fruit-eating butterflies will be attracted to these (to them) delicious treats. Butterflies will benefit from a damp, bare spot of ground where they can obtain moisture and minerals from the soil.

You can expect many people to come view your garden if it is in an accessible place, such as along a roadside, in a park, in a regular flower garden, or in your own backyard. Enjoy!

Web Sites and References

Tekulsky, M. 1985. The butterfly garden. Harvard Common Press. A good primer on what is butterfly gardening and how to begin.

Milkweed Cafe's Butterfly Garden, accessed 16 August 2001.

The Butterfly Garden, a forum for the discussion of plants that both attract and provide habitat for butterflies. Accessed 16 August 2001.

Attracting Butterflies by Sharon David. Accessed 16 August 2001.

Kellogg Butterfly Garden, with a sample garden layout. Accessed 16 August 2001.

The Smithsonian Institution Presents THE BUTTERFLY HABITAT GARDEN. The nation's butterfly garden. Accessed 16 August 2001.

The Butterfly Conservatory, American Museum of Natural History. Accessed 13 September 2001.
 

Gary Brewer
August 16, 2001