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Bring on the Butterflies!
Looking for ways to attract butterflies to your yard this spring and summer? Here are a few tips.
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Plant some flowers. Butterflies love nectar-producing flowers, especially those with red, yellow, orange, pink, or purple blossoms. Some flowers that fit the bill (or should we say proboscis?) include: asters, azaleas, black-eyed Susan, blazing stars, butterfly weed, cardinal flower, coreopsis, goldenrod, ironweed, milkweed, phlox, purple coneflowers, and sunflowers.
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Provide water and warmth.
Butterflies also need clean water and warm spots on which to land and sun themselves. In sunny areas in your yard, place some shallow dishes of water and clean sand (the sand acts as a water filter). Near the water sources, put some smooth, flat stones that will soak up the sun's warm rays. These make good resting spots.
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Make a fruity mash. If you can't plant butterfly-attracting flowers, you can still bring butterflies to you by making a fruity mash that butterflies and moths can't resist. See the recipe on the next page.
Watch for butterflies throughout the day. And don't forget to check at night too, when moths will come calling. Identify the visitors you spot with Peterson First Guides: Butterflies and Moths by Paul A. Opler. Learn more about gardening for butterflies with Carol Lerner's Butterflies in the Garden.
Here are just a few favorite butterfly flowers:
- milkweed
- butterfly weed
- cardinal flower
- coneflower
- aster
- bergamot
- goldenrod
- black-eyed Susan