Butterfly Garden

Butterflies are like ballerinas of the garden in their colorful costumes and frilly aerobatics. A child who has never chased after a butterfly has never experienced the elusiveness of the natural world. Mayita shares this unique and tranquil garden idea.

What you will need:

Warmth: You need to find a spot in your yard where it is sunny all day or most of the day. Butterflies need the warmth of the sun to keep their bodies and wings warm.

Nectar on suitable flowers and food for larva: Plant flowers that will attract butterflies with their sweet nectar and will also provide them with a ‘landing pad’. Also needed, are plants that will provide food for the butterflies when they are in their larva or caterpillar stage.

Water: Make sure the butterflies have water by providing them with a shallow dish filled with pebbles and water. Make sure the water is no higher than the level of the pebbles so the butterflies do not drown.

Examples of suitable plants:

Lavadula - all kinds

Agastache

Buddleia davidii

Echinacea purpurea

Lantana

Asclepias tuberosa

Tagetes ‘disco’

Cosmos sulphureus

Verbena - all kinds

Asters

Liatris spicata

Achillea - all kinds

Heliotropium arborescens

All of the above plants have flowers that are comprised of many little flowers arranged either on a horizontal or vertical plane.

Parsley feeds the Swallowtail larva and Milkweed feeds the Monarch larva.

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