If you grow flowers, you may think your landscape is automatically considered a "butterfly garden", but you may want to think again. Showy blossoms that we surround ourselves with may not be a favorite on the butterfly menu.
Not All Frills, Simply Beautiful
Although butterflies are attracted to bold, beautiful colors they prefer flowers with a simple flare. Single petal flowers and native plants are at the top of their favorites. These plants usually contain higher amounts of nectar than most doubles, that may be hybridized for looks. Don't forget that along with nectar plants, host plants are extremely important if you want to enjoy the full butterfly experience.
Butterfly Garden Location
Since butterflies need to keep their body temperature warm, a sunny location is the ultimate spot. Most nectar plants & host plants will flourish if given at least 6 hours of sunlight. Other items that will entice butterflies to your butterfly garden are rocks, to bask on, and a butterfly puddle.
Butterfly Garden Plans
A number of the plans we have listed on our garden plans page could be adapted with a butterfly theme. You could always create your own butterfly garden using the plants from our butterfly food plant list.
Related Pages
Butterfly Food- List of favorite nectar producing butterfly plants. Butterfly Forum- Blossom Swap's butterfly forum. Butterfly Host Plant- List of host plants for caterpillars to feast on. Butterfly Puddle- Easy project to entice butterflies to your garden. Plant a Garden for Butterflies! - Information on selecting the best area, list of favorite plants, and butterfly garden plans. Websites About Butterflies- If you're looking for butterfly websites, you will want to check our list of
informative butterfly resources, photographs and associations.
The Midwest fall garden is a glorious sight to behold. I’m often guilty of taking it for granted, or perhaps even ignoring it knowing it is a precursor to the dreary winter. But once I shake that feeling, it truly is a wonderful time of year.
A bouquet of flowers can say so much. Beauty, emotion but if you are like me, a garden bouquet of fresh cut flowers screams, "Can you believe I grew these?!"
