How to Create a Butterfly Garden In Your Backyard: 10 Flowers That Attract Butterflies by Elisa Schmitz
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The other day, a monarch butterfly landed in the palm of my hand. It literally took my breath away. The magic of that moment washed away all of my stress. Yes, peace can be elusive, and we can all benefit from an oasis or some calm in the storm. Why not create a sanctuary with a butterfly garden, right in your own yard? You can do it more easily than you may think.
Butterflies are not only beautiful, but also help to pollinate flowers. Get your family or friends to help you create this peaceful place for all to enjoy.
Here's what you should know:
- Butterflies need plants where they can lay their eggs, and that provide food for caterpillars as well as for adult butterflies.
- They prefer sunny spaces that provide a water source and shelter from wind.
- Butterflies seek brightly colored (red, orange, purple) native plants.
- Our butterfly garden is filled with a variety of tall perennials, such as ironweed (pictured below), which blooms summer and fall.
- Monarchs (pictured in video) especially need milkweed in your butterfly garden.
Here are 10 plants to consider adding to your butterfly garden:
1. Butterfly Bush: a fast-growing flowering shrub known for attracting butterflies and other pollinators. Its showy flowers bloom in shades of pink, purple, pink, yellow and white. While the butterfly bush provides nectar for adult butterflies, it's important to know that it's not attractive to the caterpillars. "[The butterfly bush] is not a 'host plant' for butterfly larvae; if you want the butterflies to stay, be sure to add native host plants such as milkweed, aster and dill."
2. Milkweed: a perennial herb that's known for its milky sap and being the sole diet for monarch butterfly caterpillars. With the declining number of monarchs, you can do you part to help rebuild the population by planting milkweed. "Monarch caterpillars are picky eaters. They can only eat one thing: milkweed. Milkweed is what we call their 'host plant,' meaning that the caterpillar depends on it as a food source and cannot survive without it." Learn more about monarchs and milkweed from the National Wildlife Federation.
3. Aster: a perennial that blooms in late summer to fall with daisy-shaped flowers that bloom in shades of pink, purple, blue and white.
4. Goldenrod: a perennial herb known for its bright yellow color that attracts butterflies and other pollinators all summer long.
5. Daylily: a hardy perennial with showy, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in shades of orange, yellow, pink, purple and red. The daylily is so popular, it has its own society. According to the American Daylily Society, the daylily is the perfect perennial because it is available in a "rainbow of colors and a variety of shapes and sizes; able to survive with very little care in a wide range of climates; suitable for all types of landscapes; drought tolerant when necessary, with relatively few pest and disease problems in most gardens; adaptable to various soil and light conditions; and is known to bloom from late spring until autumn."
6. Lavender: a fragrant purple perennial that's popular in gardens because of its attractive flowers and calming aroma.
7. Zinnia: a fast-growing, low-maintenance annual flower with gorgeous blooms in brilliant colors like red, orange, pink and yellow.
8. Lilac: a beloved hardy shrub known for its fragrant flowers that bloom mostly in purple to lilac shades. Lilac "thrives with little care which makes it a lovely shrub for a specimen planting, in masses, screens, hedges or mixed in shrub borders." Butterflies love the flowers that appear in May.
9. Duranta Erecta: a plant that grows quickly and loves full sun and well-drained soil. The clusters of flowers can be blue, purple, white or pink, and appear from summer to fall. This is a favorite of my friend Donna, who wrote a post about Duranta erecta. "Not only can this plant be ignored once established, but it blooms profusely and attracts bees, birds (especially hummingbirds) butterflies and moths. A gardening win-win."
10. Coneflower: a popular perennial that has flowers on long stems all summer.
You can try sage and snapdragon, too. It's fun to experiment and see which attracts the most butterflies. Enjoy the peace and beauty of your new garden sanctuary! Below are some resources to help.
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