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1. Choose your site.
2. Learn your local butterflies. Your first
step should be to find out which butterflies are in your area. You can do this by spending
some time outdoors with your field guide to see which species are around. Field guides and a
little focused observation will help you identify butterfly species native to your area.
You’ll soon find where butterflies are most common in your neighborhood, and the sorts of
habitats they prefer.
3. Design a butterfly habitat. Butterfly
gardens are often informal and naturalistic. One easy design features a perimeter of woody
plants layered with shorter shrubs and flowering perennials, allowing a sunny, open space in
the center. This design provides shelter and roosting space while maximizing sun and nectar
availability.
4. Feed your butterflies. Most adult
butterflies rely on Flower nectar for nutrition, but they do not necessarily visit just any
bloom. The ideal “butterfly Flower” is a colorful, fragrant, tubular blossom. Timing is
important, as well; spring- and fall-blooming plants can mean life or death to unexpected
butterfly visitors, as well as add interest to the garden.
5. Provide shelter for your butterflies.
Butterflies are hardy creatures, but still require protection from the elements and
predators. An informal hedge or a fence covered with flowering vines may create a windbreak
or a shady spot, much appreciated during weather extremes. Groundcovers may be hiding spots
for vulnerable pupae and larvae.
6. Grow a butterfly nursery. Providing
egg-laying sites and larval food sources helps you keep butterflies in your garden for
longer periods. Each species of butterfly is choosy about where it lays its eggs, since that
host plant will also provide food for the caterpillars that hatch.
7. Give your butterflies a little sun. Basking
is a common butterfly behavior, especially in the mornings. Butterflies find flat, sunny
spots (rocks or planters work well), then spread their wings and soak up the heat of the
sun. Once their muscles warm up, they will fly on to the next order of business.
8. Build your own mud puddle. Butterflies get
most of their moisture from Flower nectar, but male butterflies require specific salts for
reproduction. One way the home gardener can provide these nutrients is by sinking a pan into
the soil, filling it half with sand and half with composted manure. If kept moist throughout
the growing season, this puddle may become a gathering place for butterflies.
9. Maintain your garden in a
butterfly-friendly way. Butterflies are sensitive to pesticides and can even be harmed by
chemicals meant to control other insect species or by chemicals drifting from adjacent
properties. By practicing good plant health care and investigating other forms of pest
control, a gardener can ensure that such chemicals won’t be necessary.
10. Enjoy! |
