Attracting and benefiting from our most beautiful pollinators.
Butterfly gardening belongs to a growing school of gardening that focuses on the preservation of wildlife. It focuses on creating an environment for butterflies to thrive and reproduce. Gardeners who specialize in butterfly gardening place nectar-producing plants and host plants around the garden with hopes of attracting these beautiful insects. Each person has their own reason for creating a butterfly sanctuary that ranges from purely aesthetic to passionate about preserving the species. Many people find a fluttering rainbow fascinating enough to create a garden that attracts butterflies. Others take a more scientific approach by raising or rearing butterflies from ova to imago. Regardless of the reasoning behind this brand of niche gardening, people tend to love it and do so with a clear conscious. Find out more about butterfly gardening below.
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Reasons for Butterfly Gardening
Why Garden for Butterflies?: A webpage that focuses on butterfly-specific gardening by listing the necessities for attracting these beautiful insects.
Monarch Watch: Butterfly Gardening: Scientists, environmentalists, politicians, and Eco-conscious homeowners have become fond of butterfly gardening because it preserves the species in a natural setting.
Create a Butterfly Garden: Home owners eager to attract butterflies may create a garden with plants they love. Not only does this create a natural habitat, but it allows the butterflies to flourish in a safe environment.
How to Create a Butterfly Garden: The Telegraph explains how to create a butterfly garden for the sole purpose of preserving the species and enjoying their company.
Threats to Monarchs: Creating a butterfly garden may be the solution to preserving the monarch.
Butterfly Attracting Plants
Butterfly Attracting Plants: The Xerces Society recommends native plants that are highly attractive to pollinators and are well-suited for small-scale plantings in gardens.
Attracting Butterflies: Learn about what attracts butterflies, including the right location and plants to build a garden.
Organic Garden Pest Control: Keep butterfly gardens pest-free with these safe, effective products. Many are non-toxic — or specific to the pest — and will not harm butterflies, pollinators or beneficial insects.
Feed the Caterpillars: Plant these ten common host plants to help feed caterpillars after they have hatched.
Creating a Butterfly Garden: Host Plantsย (PDF): Caterpillars feed on a variety of host plants, including trees, herbs, shrubs, and other types of plant material.
Where to Find Caterpillars: Caterpillars are commonly found on these host plants, including milkweed, spicebush, paw-paw, parsley, dill, fennel, walnut, sweet gum, and cherry.
Build Your Own Bird and Butterfly Garden: An extensive document that covers every aspect of bird and butterfly gardening, including sample layouts that anyone can build.
Butterfly Behaviors
Butterfly Behavior: A student’s account of butterfly behavior based on the observation of the insect’s survival tactics, ability to regulate heat, reproduce, and gather food.
How Butterflies Work: HowStuffWorks explains exhibited butterfly behavior when it comes to food, including ways they eat from selected plants and gather nutrients from puddles.
Behaviors to Watch: An educational website covering every aspect of butterfly behavior, including basking, puddling, patrolling, perching, mating, and egg laying.
Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus): Behavior: A complete profile of the monarch butterfly, including its unique characteristics, range, habitat, diet, life cycle, and behavior patterns.
Butterfly Gardening Fact Sheet: The Smithsonian Institute shares a comprehensive fact sheet about butterfly gardening, including what to look for in butterfly behavior patterns.