Creating a Butterfly Garden

Butterflies are one of the most beautiful insects on this earth. Their lovely wings add a special color that no flower is able to make. The movement of butterflies from flower to flower adds to the beauty, as you never know exactly where you will come across another butterfly.

If you want to attract these lovely creatures to your garden, there are a few tricks that you can try. The hardest part about attracting butterflies to your garden is getting the right plants. This is especially hard since different butterflies like different plants, and butterflies types vary from place to place. You cannot just look up in a book what kind of butterfly you want to attract; you are going to have to do a little research and reconnaissance.

Start building your butterfly garden by scouting around your neighborhood to see what kind of butterflies live in the area. Once you have a general idea of what you expect to find, go to your local library, or any local organization that knows about butterflies, and research what kind of plants the butterflies you saw are attracted to. You should be able to find many books on this subject.

When you know what plants they feed on, research how to best grow them and get to work. You will want to grow these plants to contain lots of nectar, not to be flashy. Keep in mind that you do not only want the plants they feed on, but also the plants where the females can lay their eggs. Once you have your garden planted, keep your eye on the butterflies that come to your garden. Over time you will learn which plants are more popular, and you can grow more of those next season.

There are a couple more things to keep in mind while planting a butterfly garden. First of all, never use any pesticides or insecticides, since these will kill the butterflies you are trying to attract. Second, remember that the butterflies and, more importantly, their larvae, feed on the plants in your garden. Do not be surprised or concerned if the larvae are eating your plants. Remember, you are building a butterfly garden, not a flower garden.