Butterfly Gardens
Metamorphosis Has Deep Meaning

Food for Butterflies (nectar they like)  

The process of designing for a butterfly garden involves several factors that must be considered and which must be researched before you proceed:

1) What species of butterflys frequent your area? In otherwords, you must know which USDA Hardiness Zone you are in so that you can select which types of plants that the butterflies are attracted to in your region. Go here to find your USDA zone based on your zip code.

2) Next, you would put together a list of flowering plants that would survive in your zone and match them to those that butterflies like. Also factor in the host plants that the catepillars prefer - very important, so don't overlook this.

3) Take a look around your property and look for butterflies and notice which plants (if any) already exist on the site. You may want to provide more of the same since it works and the butterflies are already familiar.

4) Since it will take time for the flowers to gather up enough volume to attract butterflies, you will probably want to "over design" the quantities and variety so that you don't put all your eggs in one basket.

5) A butterfly garden doesn't have to be a designated area that is where you want all the butterflies to hang out. It is good design to design these butterfly attracting species around your other plantings so that the entire garden has balance. A concentrated, designated area that you call you butterfly garden will most likely be hard to maintain and may not look well designed.

6) Plant in groups as opposed to a individual plants. Plants have specific flowering periods, so you will want to try to have something blooming for as much of the growing seasons as possible. Offset one plant in between flowering period with one that does flower.

7) Keep the color combinations grouped or in small masses so that butterflies have an easier time finding them.

8) Remember that the plantings are for attracting butterflies and not a flower show. So don't try to create well thought out beds, borders and the color combinations as you would your annual color beds. Keep those separate so you have more control over the flowering and the groupings. Don't rely on your butterfly garden to substitute for a spectacular show of flowers. Unless you are a very experienced gardener, keep these two theme gardens separate to make each one easier to nurture.

Here is a sample list of flowers which are fairly easy to find in most temperate areas, and will be attractive to many species of butterflies:

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Aster

Aster Purple

Butterly Bush purple

Butterfly weed

Coreopsis

Purple Coneflower

Golden Rod

Daylily

Hibiscus Red

Lavendar

Lavendar

Cluster of Monarch Butterflies in migratory state

Marguerite

Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia 2

Rudbeckia 400

Lilac

Marigold

Choose an image to begin

 

Butterflies begin their life as an egg, depending on the species laid either singly or in clusters . The newly hatched caterpillar emerges from its egg shell which it then begins to eat, after which it feeds on the host plant. Caterpillars go through a molting process about five times before changing into a pupa.

After the pupa stage, the adult form as a winged butterfly emerges and makes its life flying around as we admire their fluttering aerobic manuevers. Metamorphosis, latin for changing form, is the process of the butterfly's lifecycle.

Butterfly gardens are a suitable means to integrate a native plant garden into your landscape by finding out which species are indigenous and providing the specific plant species they prefer to enhance the non-butterfly attracting exsiting native plants on your property.

Butterflies as a creature are very popular not only because of their beauty and awesome color combinations revealed as paintings on their wings, but because they are insects that look like mini birds in flight. Their wings dwarf their tiny fuselage bodies. They flutter about, seemingly without a destination. They do not live very long. Perhaps that short lived moment of beauty is what intrigues us. We may not appreciate butterflies if they lived as long as Elephants, for they may get wrinkles and grey hair.

John Stuart Leslie is creator and founder of Virtual Garden Designer. Now you can work with an experienced landscape desiger online to have your garden or landscape designed professionally with ease and convenience. He holds a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture and has been a landscape designer and contractor for over 20 years.