Beckon Butterflies to Your Garden

Butterflies are critical components of many ecosystems, and many species are declining in much of the world because of loss of habitat. 

What butterflies frequently visit our gardens? Black Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Tailed Blue, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, European Skipper, Great Spangled Fritillary, Least Skipper, Little Wood Satyr, Monarch, Orange Sulphur, Painted Lady, Pearl Crescent, Red-Spotted Purple, Spring Azure, and Viceroy, to name only a few.

The ideal butterfly garden will be in a spot which is sheltered from wind and receives at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Nearby shrubs and trees will provide hiding and resting spots. Butterflies use "thermal heating" and rely on sunbathing, so locate "landing pads" in full sun and up off the ground. And of course, a multitude of flowers from which to feed. A diverse selection will provide food for a wide variety of butterflies.

Filling your landscape with beautiful blooming plants, shrubs, and trees is a sure way to attract the winged creatures we love to watch. When planning a butterfly garden, be sure to also consider the plants on which the caterpillars feed--they are not always the same ones that you see the adults visiting. Monarch caterpillars must have milkweed in order to grow and mature into butterflies. By planting both the host for the caterpillar and the nectar producing blooms that sustain the butterflies, you are providing a balanced habitat. 

Other things to take into consideration include the following:

• Refrain from using pesticides
  
• Butterflies also need water to drink and use for "puddling"
  
• Include late-flowering shrubs and flowers to extend the nectar season
  
• Over-ripe fruit can be set out in late summer for additional nutrition (however, it does attract yellow jackets!)
  

As a butterfly garden matures, the colors will be magnificent: orange, pink, purple, red, yellow, white, and blue will form a rainbow with the many-hued butterflies drifting between the flowers. 

Want to plant your own butterfly garden? Choose from this list of well-known and easy-to-grow flowers. 

1. Aster: summer/fall
   
2. Bee Balm (Wild Bergamot): summer
   
3. Black-eyed Susan: summer/fall
   
4. Blazingstar: summer
5. Butterfly Weed: late summer/early fall
   
6. Cardinal Flower: summer/fall
   
7. Chickweed: summer
   
8. Coreopsis: summer
   
9. Cosmos: summer
   
10. Cranesbill: summer
11. Cushion Mum: summer/fall
    
12. Dogbane
    
13. Dogwood: spring
    
14. Fleabane
    
15. Goat's Beard: spring/summer
16. Goldenrod: summer/fall
    
17. Grape hyacinth: spring
    
18. Ice Plant: summer
    
19. Ironweed: summer/fall
    
20. Joe-Pye Weed: late summer
21. Mallow: summer
    
22. Marigold: summer
    
23. Maximillian's Sunflower: fummer/fall
24. Milkweed, Swamp or Common: summer
    
25. Moss Phlox: spring
    
26. Mustard: summer
    
27. New England Aster: summer/fall
    
28. Ox-eye Sunflower: summer
    
29. Pepperbush: summer
30. Purple Coneflower: summer/fall
    
31. Red Clover: spring/summer
    
32. Salt Bush: summer
    
33. Smooth Aster: summer/fall
    
34. Stiff Goldenrod: summer
    
35. Strawberry: spring
    
36. Sunflower: summer/fall
37. Vetch: spring/summer
    
38. Viburnum
    
39. Violet: spring
    
40. Virginia Bluebell: spring
41. Wild Rose
    
42. Wild Lupine: medium, blue
    
43. Yarrow: summer/fall
    
44. Zinnia
    

Some exotic species which attract butterflies and are quite beautiful can also become firmly entrenched in your garden. Check with your local Extension service before introducing any of these into your plans:

• Bush Honeysuckle 
  
• Asian Bittersweet 
  
• Japanese Honeysuckle
  
• Dames Rocket
  
• Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp)
  
• Privet
  
• Canada Thistle
  
• Queen Anne's Lace
  
• Ditch Lily
  
• Lantana