Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden

Having a garden for butterflies is fun -- especially when hordes of them (like this summer!) come fluttering in. The key to any butterfly garden...

Centranthus ruber 'Coccineus'
Item # 31655 		Centranthus ruber 'Coccineus'
Jupiter’s Beard

each $5.29
3 to 6 $4.99
7 or more $4.79
Origanum x 'Rotkugel'
Item # 73097 		Origanum 'Rotkugel'
Rotkugel Ornamental Oregano

each $7.99
3 to 6 $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Agastache neomexicana
Item # 11813 		Agastache neomexicana
New Mexico Hummingbird Mint

each $7.99
3 to 6 $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Lemon Bush Thyme
Item # 95521 		Thymus sp.
Lemon Bush Thyme

Each $5.29
3 to 6 $4.99
7 or more $4.79
  • Topic: Butterfly Gardening
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: butterflies, design, Garden Design, butterfly, gardens, nectar, attracting butterflies
  • Date: August 2004

© All articles are copyrighted by High Country Gardens. Republication is prohibited without Permission.

Having a garden for butterflies is fun—especially when hordes of them (like this summer!) come fluttering in.

The key to any butterfly garden is making the right selection of flowers. But just by putting in Agastache neomexicana or Echinacea purpurea, you’re guaranteed to get a few butterflies.

If you have some favorite butterflies, though, it’s even possible to plant specifically for them because each butterfly species has its own favorite flower. For example, the nectar of the Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) attracts Giant Swallowtails and Painted Ladies. Asters attract the Common Sulfur and Buckeye.

We carry at least 60 different plants designated for attracting butterflies, and if you plan carefully you can attract butterflies from spring through the fall. With even more forethought you can provide for their full growth cycle—from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, and finally to the emergence of a full-fledged butterfly. For some the process takes only a few short weeks.

Adult butterflies are very picky about where they lay their eggs and choose specific food plants so when the caterpillars emerge, they can begin to feed. In many cases food source plants are different from the nectar source. Planting for caterpillar food as well as nectar for butterflies makes an interesting challenge.

The relationship between plants and butterflies is intricate. As butterflies travel from flower to flower, they carry pollen and fertilize plants. It’s a great balance, although the downside is environmental pollutants continue to devastate fragile ecosystems and scientists are seeing whole butterfly populations dramatically decline.

So what happens when we create a pesticide free garden for butterflies is we also participate in their conservation. If we can create a natural habitat for them, we are ensuring their safety.

Following are some nectar providing perennials.

  • Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)
  • Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
  • Gaillardia grandiflora (Blanket Flower)
  • Helianthus maximiliana ‘Lemon Yellow’
  • Lavandula, different species
  • Monarda (Beebalm)
  • Salvia, different species
  • Sedum ‘Ruby Glow’, ‘Autumn Joy’ and others

For a more detailed list, stop by Santa Fe Greenhouses and pick up one of our High Country Gardens catalogs or request a catalog online. The index includes a comprehensive list of plants that provide nectar for butterflies.

To ensure the availability of nectar sources throughout the summer, long-blooming annuals such as cosmos, verbena, lantana, penta, strawflower and heliotrope can be planted between the perennials or in potted container gardens.

Also, all butterflies will hang around mud holes, a characteristic called ‘puddling.’ Mud is a source of mineral salts.

The time spent on selecting butterfly plants can turn your yard into a home for many different species. They’ll offer you hours of enjoyment and in turn you’re helping the environment. And many of the butterfly plants also attract hummingbirds, which is another plus.

Books available in our Garden Center are:

  • Taylor’s Attracting Birds and Butterflies
  • Stoke’s Butterfly Book

Also, for more information join the Butterfly Gardener’s Quarterly (P.O. Box 30931 Seattle, WA 98103).