Create a Butterfly Garden

Having a beautiful backyard to enjoy and relax in isn't just about plants, flowers and nice grass. For me, it includes birds, butterflies, dragonflies and even bats. These creatures put on a show, and give us many hours of enjoyment. Watching birds bathing and bats flitting about at night are great fun, but its the butterflies that are truly spectacular.

Butterflies are one of nature's most beautiful and delicate creatures. Creating a habitat for them will bring a variety of Butterflies to your yard for your viewing pleasure and it creates a safe haven for them to breed.

Incorporating plants that Butterflies are attracted to is easy to do. There are many types of shrubs and trees that Butterflies like, and even more perennials. When planting perennials in your garden for Butterflies to enjoy, plant them in groupings or clusters. Butterflies will be drawn to a large show of flowers more easily than just one or two plants.

Butterflies also like a rock or two out in the sun for them to warm their wings before flying in the early morning hours. They also are attracted to damp areas of the garden where they can suck fluid and salts from the soil. Shrubs and Butterfly Houses will protect them from wind and predators (mainly birds) Placing a Butterfly house in the center of a group of flowering perennials, they will be more likely to find and use it. Minimize the amount of chemical insecticides and herbicides you use, as these delicate creatures are very susceptible to their residue. Yet another reason to go organic!

Here is a listing of plants Butterflies are attracted to:

Shrubs/Trees:

Abelia
Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)
Blueberry
Hawthorne
Mock Orange
Pear
Plum
Privet
Redbud
Rose of Sharon
Spiraea
Summersweet (Clethra)
Viburnum
All of these shrubs/trees come in numerous varieties. They flower at different times of the season. Planting more than one variety will prolong your Butterfly season.

Perennials:
Althea
Ajuga
Asclepsias (Butterfly weed)
Aster
Centaurea
Coneflower
Coreopsis
Lantana
Lobelia (Cardinal Flower)
Mint
Monarda (Bee Balm)
Phlox
Rudbeckia (Black eyed Susan)
Sedum
Shasta Daisy
Verbena
Yarrow

Planting some of these varieties of shrubs and flowers in your yard will enhance its beauty, bring lots of Butterflies to your yard and give you a great reason to want to stay home.