Butterfly gardening provides a garden space that attracts, feeds and provides a home for butterflies and certain moths. Butterfly garden plants are selected for all stages of the butterfly’s lifecycle – places to lay eggs, leafy food for caterpillars, flowers for adult butterflies as well as complimentary plants to attract other pollinators and deter unwanted pests. Because many caterpillars and adult butterflies are obligate feeders, meaning they feed exclusively on one plant species, special care must be taken when selecting plants to provide for specific butterflies.
for example – the Monarch Butterfly’s caterpillar is an obligate feeder, and can only feed on milkweed, the adult also prefers to lay her eggs near milkweed to provide the larva with a food source after hatching
finding the best LOCATION
for your Butterfly Garden
The ideal spot for a Butterfly Garden is in warm, direct afternoon sunlight. Keep in mind, as the sun changes seasonal positions along the horizon, the light and shade patterns in your garden will change. Select a section of your garden that is sunlight between 3pm and 7pm during the butterflies’ most active season – July to September, here in Southern Ontario. Dappled morning shade gives relief to caterpillars while bright afternoon sunlight encourages flowers and provides warmth for cold-blooded butterflies sunning themselves. Most butterfly garden plants listed by Garddwest would do best in sunny, mixed soils but tolerant of a wide range of conditions.
TRY THIS: tracking the sun’s path through your potential garden space
Collect marking flags, sticks, any kind of indicator / Find the area of your garden that gets most afternoon sun / Mark the edge of the sun’s shadow every 15 minutes as it moves through your yard by inserting a flag in the ground
attracting BUTTERFLIES
to your Butterfly Garden
BUTTERFLY MILKWEED
Attracts: Eastern Comma, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Least Skipper, Tawny-edged Skipper, Milkweed Tussock Moth, Snowberry Clearwing Moth
*Host plant for: MONARCH!YARROW
Attracts: American Painter Lady, Gray Hairstreak
PERENNIAL SAGE
Attracts: Cabbage White, Fiery Skipper, Sachem, Silver-Spotted Skipper, Zabulon Skipper
* information on which butterflies are attracted to specific plants provided by Advice From The Herb Lady and The Natural Web.
choosing the best PLANTS
for your Butterfly Garden
see the more detailed PLANT LIST post, for additional information
Garddwest 