Creating butterfly gardens is easy and fun; learn how to spice up your yard to attract butterflies.How to create butterfly habitat
Only a small amount of space is needed to provide butterfly habitat. You can create butterfly friendly habitat by providing food (nectar plants), cover, water, and larval plants.
• Before you start, plan ahead.
• Map your yard and determine what environmental conditions you have (i.e., soil type andamount of sun).
• Locate gardens near areas that are sheltered from wind.
• Select areas that receive at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
• Plant flowers in large diverse groups.
• Choose plants that vary in color, season of bloom, and height to provide different foraging opportunities and maximum year-round habitat for butterflies.
• Choose flowers with different structures. Butterflies have different length proboscises (tongues) that determine which flowers they can feed from.
• Provide cover and shelter such as broad-leaved trees, shrubs, and log piles.
• Provide several landing pads or sunbathing perches in open and sunny areas throughout the garden. Butterflies rely to a large degree on thermal heating and sunbathe in these open spots.
• Provide a water source or puddle for butterflies. Bury a bucket or shallow lid in the ground and fill it with equal ratios of sand and soil, then periodically saturate the sand/soil mixture with water.
• Provide access to the water puddle by placing a few large rocks around the bucket or lid. Which kinds of flowers should I plant? Choosing a diverse array of flowers and shrubs will ensure that butterflies visit your garden while creating a bright, diverse, and colorful yard throughout the seasons. Adding a variety of flowering and fruiting shrubs to your butterfly garden also will undoubtedly attract several birds (including hummingbirds) to your yard.
