Butterfly Gardens

A butterfly garden is a wonderful way to enjoy these beautiful creatures. They have lost many areas that were once their natural habitat due to development. Offering a butterfly garden to them helps ensure their survival. Butterflies will be attracted to your garden if you grow the types of plants that caterpillars enjoy eating and those that large butterflies survive on. This will be most any plant that contains nectar. For the best results, choose flowers that bloom in late summer as this is when butterflies are the most abundant. Remember that using pesticides in your garden will be harmful to butterflies.

Different varieties of butterflies are attracted to various nectar plants as well as attracted to the colors of the flowers. To give you a good mix of different butterflies, plant several different types of nectar plants. This will bring the various types of butterflies to your garden for your viewing pleasure. Of course, you will need to consider the region you live in and select nectar plants that grow well in that type of environment.

To keep butterflies interested in your garden, it has to appeal to their four stages of life which include laying eggs, the caterpillar, chrysalis, and the adult butterfly. We have already discussed the nectar plants that the caterpillar and adult butterfly enjoy eating. You will want to offer host plants in your butterfly garden for them to place their eggs on. Milkweed is an excellent choice and grows well in most regions. The caterpillars need plenty of rich leaves to eat after they emerge from the eggs.

During the chrysalis stage, the soon to emerge butter fly needs a safe place to hang its cocoon while the reset of the metamorphosis takes place. They will be looking for a sheltered environment that offers a camouflaged area for them to hang from twigs unseen from predators.

Creating a beautiful butterfly garden with gorgeous nectar rich plants and flowers is a great way to attract many varieties of butterflies. They will continue to flourish in your butterfly garden in you provide the necessary food and shelter they need throughout the four stages of their life. People of all ages enjoy the beauty and mystery of the butterfly. Your wonderful butterfly garden will be cherished by all who visit.