HOW TO CREATE A BUTTERFLY GARDEN

 

I simply love butterflies!  I love their delicate wings and how they flutter about

from one flower to another.  I've been slowly working in my own

yard to make areas for the butterflies.  Making a butterfly garden

is not as difficult as I had first thought.  They don't need to be large.

You can have a butterfly garden in a container.  So there's no

excuse to not have one and see the beautiful variety of butterflies that will come to your home.

Here are some easy steps for creating a butterfly garden in your own yard.

1. Choose a sunny area. Give butterflies a place to bask that’s sheltered from harsh winds.
2. Place warming surfaces throughout your garden.   Butterflies capture the sun’s rays to warm their bodies. Provide flat rocks or other surfaces they can use in addition to grasses or exposed soil.
3. Where there’s water… Butterflies will seek out birdbaths, damp areas or shallow puddles near plants they visit.
4. Provide plants. Clusters of short, tubular flowers—like penstemon, lupine, hyssop and larkspur—offer space to perch while feeding.
5. Attract with alluring colors. Butterflies like bright flowers, especially purple, orange, yellow and red.
6. Butterflies have to eat too! Offer plants to nourish both caterpillars and butterflies. Select plants suited to your yard’s soil, moisture and light conditions.

So have fun in planning your butterfly garden and see what kinds will pay you a visit.