Butterflies are Beautiful

Butterflies are an important part of the ecosystem pollinating many kinds of plants. The numbers are being reduced through insecticides, roadside mowing, land development and the draining and filling of wetlands. We need to help protect the species by providing natural habitats for them.

Butterflies are a lovely creature and can be enjoyed by all. Creating a butterfly garden is not difficult and can be enjoyed for the colorful flowers as well as the butterflies.
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Certain flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees are favored in the caterpillar stage but the nectar is needed by the adults. If you plan the garden right you can enjoy the entire life cycle.

You need to provide the adults with the nectar filled plants. The butterfly then lays the eggs sometimes many together and others one at a time, each producing a caterpillar (larvae), on foliage that the caterpillars will want to eat when they hatch. You need to provide plants for this feeding frenzy. If you are worried about the caterpillars eating your vegetable garden, just carefully take them and place them in the butterfly garden on the plants you provided for them. The larvae starts out very tiny and as it outgrows it's skin it will molt and lose the old skin. This happens 4 or 5 time before it is fully grown. When it is full grown it will attach itself to a leaf or stem. This skin will harden into a shell and is now a pupa (chrysalid). This is the time when the larvae is becoming a beautiful butterfly. The adult butterfly emerges from this shell after the magical transformation has finished. It expands its wings by pumping blood into them and they will start to dry and harden so the butterfly can fly. Then the cycle begins again.

Now you know what happens, I suppose next you want to know what they need to keep up this cycle. We need to provide the basic habitat components of food, water and shelter. If you have no natural water a shallow bird bath works and looks real nice. Design you garden to include rocks that the butterflies can use to warm themselves and flagstone is a good choice because it can hold small puddles of water for them to drink. Your butterfly garden should be made in a sunny location. As an adult butterfly they require a lot of nectar plants and they need host plants for laying eggs and for the larva to eat on. Host plants are specie specific. Many host plants can also be a source of nectar for the adult. The monarch for example can lay it's eggs on the milkweed and the larvae eat the leaves then the adult butterfly drinks the nectar of the blossom. Planting a variety of flowers that bloom from spring to fall will attract more butterflies than just using a couple of varieties. Flower and shrub species that are native to your local area are most successful in attracting and keeping butterflies. Feeding butterflies isn't common but sometimes they will need more than a small garden will supply. There are a few feeders that use nectar 8 parts water to 1 part sugar or you can place a tray of fruit out there for them with apples, melon or bananas. Some butterflies may use a hibernation box or butterfly box. If you choose to try one place it in a shady area close to or in your butterfly garden. Without the butterflies help we would have to depend on other things to pollinate our plants so butterflies are good as well as pretty.

Butterfly	Nectar Plants	Host Plants	Stage a butterfly may use a box
Black Swallow Tail	Butterflyweed, Phlox, Clover, Thistle	Parsley, Queen Anne's Lace	not usual
Tiger Swallowtail	Butterfly bush, Lilac	Wild Cherry, Willow, Tulip tree	not usual
Spicebush Swallowtail	Honeysuckle, Lantana, Butterflyweed	Spice bush, Sassafras	not usual
Checkered White	Aster, Butterflyweed, Centaury	Mustard, Turnip, Cabbage	not usual
Clouded Sulfur	Aster, Goldenrod, Phlox, Clover	Clover, Alfalfa, pea family	Larva,, pupa, adult over winter
Small Copper	Butterflyweed, Goldenrod, Yarrow	Sheep Sorrel, Golden Dock	Larva
Gray Hairstreak	Goldenrod, Clover, Milkweed	Hibiscus, Vetch, Clover, Mallow	not usual
Spring Azure	Buckeye, Violet, Dandelion	Dogwood, New Jersey Tea, Blueberry	not usual
Variegated Fritillary	Butterflyweed, Clover, Milkweed	Violet, Passion Vine, Stonecrop	not usual
Great Spangled Fritillary	Gloriosa Daisy, Thistle, Verbena	Violet family	not usual
Painted Lady	Aster, Cosmos, Thistle, Buttonbush	Thistle, Mallow, Hollyhock	pupa, adult
Buckeye	Aster, Coreopsis, Chicory	Plantain, Snapdragon, Toadflax	Adult
Monarch	Milkweed, Lantana, Lilac, Goldenrod, Zinnia, Cosmos	Milkweed family	Adult *(summer only)
Silver-Spotted Skipper	Zinnia, Honeysuckle, Butterflyweed, Joe-Pye weed	Locust	Larva, Pupa
Checkered Skipper	Aster, Fleabane, Shepherd's-Needle	Mallow, Hollyhock	Larva, Pupa
Comma	Butterfly bush	Hops, Nettle, Elm	Adult
Red Admiral	Daisy family, Milkweed, Alfalfa, Mint	Nettle family	Pupa, Adult
Red Spotted Purple	Cardinal Flower, Viburnum, Spirea	Willow, Aspen. Cherry, Oak, Plum	Larva
Viceroy	Thistle, Aster, Joe-Pye weed, Goldenrod	Willow, Aspen, Cherry, Oak, Plum	Larva

Azalea
Caryopteris
Coreopsis
Daylillies
Foxglove
Impatiens
Marigolds
Petunia
Snapdragon
Wisteria