{"id":973,"date":"2008-06-19T20:03:35","date_gmt":"2008-06-20T00:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/2008\/06\/19\/how-to-attract-butterflies-to-your-garden\/"},"modified":"2010-10-09T22:24:38","modified_gmt":"2010-10-10T02:24:38","slug":"how-to-attract-butterflies-to-your-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/2008\/06\/19\/how-to-attract-butterflies-to-your-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"How to attract butterflies to your garden"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--CusAds--><p>Back in 2002\/2003 when my husband and I landscaped our backyard and created our raised bed garden I&#8217;d wanted to grow plants that would attract butterflies and birds to the garden.   I spent the winter researching plants that would thrive in my area and that would attract butterflies.  If they happened to have scent that was just a bonus!<\/p>\n<div class=\"912745ff53504cd4aef8ff3ef7b9aa95\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: right; margin:10px 0 10px 10px;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"pub-3375789278566919\";\r\n\/* gardengrows_300x250inpost *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"4054669721\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 300;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 250;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Butterflies sip from the nectar of many flowers and their larvae eat the leaves of plants such as milkweed, so when planning a garden meant to attract butterflies you should keep all of their life stages in mind.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also important that your butterfly garden be organic.  You can&#8217;t use pesticides that kill a wide variety of insects as you&#8217;ll likely end up killing the butterflies that you desire.<\/p>\n<p>Habitual zones and places where areas of the landscape meet with the tree lines are favorite safe places for them.  They also search for areas that can shelter them from high winds, summer storms and rains. Shrubs and trees are good choices for plants that will provide them protective shelter.  It is also helpful to find out what kinds of butterflies are native to your area so you can find appropriate plants for them.<\/p>\n<p>Some plants that attract Anise Swallowtail and the Black swallowtail butterflies are fennel, parsley and dill.<\/p>\n<p>Lupine flowers are a favorite with Fritillary butterfly and Snapdragons are a great choice of attracting butterflies that are native to your own area.<\/p>\n<p>Gardens that offer a safe haven for butterflies will not only attract passing butterflies but likely encourage them to stay longer or to return frequently.  Most butterflies are active in the mid to late summer, so it is important that you also have plants available to them during that time.<\/p>\n<p>A home made butterfly feeding station might also be a great idea. You can make a feeder by using a small jar, a lid with a small hole drilled in the center and a piece of cotton to plug the hole in the lid. The nectar is made with 9 parts water and one part sugar.  Very similar to hummingbird nectar actually. In fact if you have hummingbird feeders in your garden they might suffice as an additional area for butterflies as well.<\/p>\n<p>Butterflies do not drink water from birdbaths, however they will drink water that puddles on large rocks or from areas where water has gathered on the soil after a rain storm.<\/p>\n<p>As your plants mature you&#8217;ll likely see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.feverishthoughts.com\/2007\/07\/17\/i-got-my-canvas-and-i-love-it\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow external noopener noreferrer\" class=\"ext-link\">more and more butterflies<\/a> visiting your garden each year. I know that&#8217;s been the case with our garden.  We have quite the variety of wildlife that seek out our garden.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a list of plants that attract butterflies:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Annual Plants and Flowers<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>  \t<em>Anethum graveolens <\/em>         \tdill<\/li>\n<li><em>Bidens alba <\/em>                        shepherd&#8217;s needles<\/li>\n<li><em>Coreopsis tinctoria <\/em>            \t   calliopsis<\/li>\n<li><em>Coriandrum sativum<\/em>         \t coriander<\/li>\n<li><em>Cosmos bipinnatus <\/em>            \t cosmos<\/li>\n<li><em>Cosmos sulphureus<\/em>           \torange cosmos<\/li>\n<li><em>Foeniculum vulgare<\/em>          \t Florence fennel<\/li>\n<li><em>Gomphrena globosa<\/em>               globe amaranth<\/li>\n<li><em>Helianthus annuus<\/em>            \t common sunflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Petroselinum crispum<\/em>      \tparsley<\/li>\n<li><em>Phaseolus vulgaris<\/em>            \t common bean<\/li>\n<li><em>Tithonia rotundiflora<\/em>        \t  Mexican sunflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Zinnia elegans <\/em>                   \t           zinnia<\/li>\n<li><em>Zinnia haageana<\/em>                \tMexican zinnia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Perennial Plants<\/strong><\/p><!--CusAds-->\n<ul>\n<li><em>Achillea millefolium<\/em> \tcommon yarrow<\/li>\n<li><em>Allium tuberosum<\/em> \tgarlic chives<\/li>\n<li><em>Asclepias curassavica<\/em> \tscarlet milkweed<\/li>\n<li><em>Asclepias tuberosa<\/em> \tbutterfly weed<\/li>\n<li><em>Aster tataricus<\/em> \tTatarian aster<\/li>\n<li><em>Clerodendrum indicum<\/em> \ttubeflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Conoclinium coelestinum<\/em> \tmistflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Coreopsis verticillata <\/em>\twhorled coreopsis<\/li>\n<li><em>Coreopsis grandiflora <\/em>\tcoreopsis<\/li>\n<li><em>Cuphea hyssopifolia <\/em>\tMexican false heather<\/li>\n<li><em>Cuphea ignea<\/em> \tcigar plant<\/li>\n<li><em>Cuphea micropetala<\/em> \ttall cigar plant<\/li>\n<li><em>Echinacea purpurea<\/em> \tpurple coneflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Echinops ritro <\/em>\tsmall globe thistle<\/li>\n<li><em>Erythrina herbacea<\/em> \tcoral bean<\/li>\n<li><em>Eupatorium fistulosum<\/em> \tJoe Pye weed<\/li>\n<li><em>Gaillardia pulchella <\/em>\tblanket flower<\/li>\n<li><em>Gamolepis chrysanthemoides<\/em> \tAfrican bush-daisy<\/li>\n<li><em>Glandularia puchella <\/em>\tmoss verbena<\/li>\n<li><em>Hedychium coronarium<\/em> \tginger lily<\/li>\n<li><em>Helianthus angustifolius<\/em> \tnarrow-leaved sunflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Helianthus tuberosus<\/em> \tJerusalem artichoke<\/li>\n<li><em>Heliopsis helianthoides<\/em> \toxeye sunflower<\/li>\n<li>Lycoris squamigera \tsurprise lily<\/li>\n<li><em>Melissa officinalis<\/em> \tlemon balm<\/li>\n<li><em>Monarda didyma<\/em> \tbeebalm<\/li>\n<li><em>Monarda punctata <\/em>\tspotted horsemint<\/li>\n<li><em>Narcissus spp. <\/em>\tdaffodil<\/li>\n<li><em>Pentas lanceolata<\/em> \tpentas<\/li>\n<li><em>Phlox paniculata<\/em> \tgarden phlox<\/li>\n<li><em>Pycnanthemum floridanum <\/em>\tFlorida mountainmint<\/li>\n<li><em>Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii<\/em> \torange coneflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Rudbeckia hirta<\/em> \tblack-eyed Susan<\/li>\n<li><em>Ruellia brittoniana<\/em> \tMexican petunia<\/li>\n<li><em>Russelia equisetiformis<\/em> \tfirecracker plant<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia lyrata<\/em> \tlyreleaf sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia coccinea <\/em>\tscarlet sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia guaranitica<\/em> \tblue anise sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia &#8216;Indigo Spires&#8217;<\/em> \tIndigo Spires sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia leucantha <\/em>\tMexican bush sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Scabiosa columbaria <\/em>\tbutterfly blue<\/li>\n<li><em>Sedum spectabile<\/em> \tshowy sedum<\/li>\n<li><em>Tagetes lemmonii<\/em> \tmountain marigold<\/li>\n<li><em>Verbena bonariensis<\/em> \tpurpletop verbena<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Shrubs<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> <em>Buddleja davidii <\/em>  \t butterfly bush<\/li>\n<li><em>Caesalpinia pulcherrima<\/em> \tpeacock flower<\/li>\n<li><em>Cephalanthus occidentalis<\/em> \tbuttonbush<\/li>\n<li><em>Cestrum nocturnum <\/em>\tnight blooming jasmine<\/li>\n<li><em>Choisya ternata<\/em> \tMexican orange<\/li>\n<li><em>Clethra alnifolia<\/em> \tsweet pepperbush<\/li>\n<li><em>Duranta erecta<\/em> \tgolden dewdrop<\/li>\n<li><em>Hamelia patens<\/em> \tfirebush<\/li>\n<li><em>Heliotropium arborsecens <\/em>\tcommon heliotrope<\/li>\n<li><em>Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis<\/em> \tChinese hibiscus<\/li>\n<li><em>Hypericum frondosum<\/em> \tgolden St. John&#8217;s wort<\/li>\n<li><em>Justicia brandegeana <\/em>\tshrimp plant<\/li>\n<li><em>Lantana camara<\/em> \tlantana<\/li>\n<li><em>Lantana montevidensis<\/em> \ttrailing lantana<\/li>\n<li><em>Leonotus leonurus<\/em> \tlion&#8217;s ear<\/li>\n<li><em>Malvaviscus penduliflorus<\/em> \tTurk&#8217;s cap<\/li>\n<li><em>Odontonema strictum<\/em> \tfirespike<\/li>\n<li><em>Pittosporum tobira<\/em> \tJapanese mockorange<\/li>\n<li><em>Plumbago auriculata<\/em> \tleadwort<\/li>\n<li><em>Prunus angustifolia<\/em> \tChickasaw plum<\/li>\n<li><em>Rhododendron austrinum<\/em> \tFlorida flame azalea<\/li>\n<li><em>Rhododendron canescens <\/em>\tpinxter azalea<\/li>\n<li><em>Rosa laevigata<\/em> \tCherokee rose<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia elegans<\/em> \tpineapple sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia greggii<\/em> \tAutumn Sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Salvia mexicana<\/em> \tMexican sage<\/li>\n<li><em>Senna pendula<\/em> \tCassia bicapsularis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Trees<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Cassia roxburghii<\/em> \tCeylon senna<\/li>\n<li><em>Citrus meyeri <\/em>\tMeyers lemon<\/li>\n<li><em>Citrus sinensis<\/em> \tsweet orange<\/li>\n<li><em>Coccoloba uvifera<\/em> \tsea grape<\/li>\n<li><em>Fortunella spp<\/em> \tkumquat<\/li>\n<li><em>Jatropha integerrima<\/em> \tperegrina<\/li>\n<li><em>Sassafras albidum<\/em> \tsassafras<\/li>\n<li><em>Vitex agnus-castus<\/em> \themp tree<\/li>\n<li><em>X Citrofortunella microcarpa<\/em> \tcalamondin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Vines<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Antigonon leptopus<\/em> \tMexican creeper<\/li>\n<li><em>Aristolochia elegans<\/em> \tCalico flower<\/li>\n<li><em>Campsis radicans<\/em> \ttrumpet creeper<\/li>\n<li><em>Clerodendrum splendens<\/em> \tflaming glorybower<\/li>\n<li><em>Cuscuta spp<\/em> \tdodder<\/li>\n<li><em>Dolichos lablab<\/em> \thyacinth bean<\/li>\n<li><em>Helianthus debilis<\/em> \tbeach sunflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Ipomoea quamoclit<\/em> \tcypress vine<\/li>\n<li><em>Lonicera japonica<\/em> \tJapanese honeysuckle<\/li>\n<li><em>Lonicera sempervirens<\/em> \tcoral honeysuckle<\/li>\n<li><em>Passiflora caerulea<\/em> \tblue passionflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Passiflora incarnata<\/em> \tmaypop<\/li>\n<li><em>Passiflora racemosa<\/em> \tred passionflower<\/li>\n<li><em>Phaseolus coccineus<\/em> \trunner bean<\/li>\n<li><em>Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides<\/em> \tMexican Flame Vine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s certainly not to late in most areas to start a few of these plants or perhaps buy some seedlings or potted plants from a nursery.<\/p>\n<!--CusAds--><p>Get started on your butterfly garden now.<\/p>\n<div class=\"912745ff53504cd4aef8ff3ef7b9aa95\" data-index=\"9\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<br\/> <br\/>\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"pub-3375789278566919\";\r\n\/* gardengrows_underpost_300x250 *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"0957462354\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 300;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 250;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<br\/>\r\n<br\/>\r\n\r\n<?php if ( is_search() || is_single() || is_page() || is_paged() || is_category() || is_archive() ) { ?>\r\n<div align=\"center\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\nch_client = \"dragonden\";\r\nch_type = \"mpu\";\r\nch_width = 468;\r\nch_height = 250;\r\nch_color_bg = \"FFFFFF\";\r\nch_color_title = \"FF9B00\";\r\nch_color_text = \"333333\";\r\nch_non_contextual = 4;\r\nch_vertical =\"premium\";\r\nch_sid = \"gardengrows_betweenposts\";\r\nvar ch_queries = new Array( );\r\nvar ch_selected=Math.floor((Math.random()*ch_queries.length));\r\nif ( ch_selected < ch_queries.length ) {\r\nch_query = ch_queries[ch_selected];\r\n}\r\n\/\/--><\/script>\r\n<script  src=\"http:\/\/scripts.chitika.net\/eminimalls\/amm.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br\/><\/div>\r\n<?php } ?>\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2002\/2003 when my husband and I landscaped our backyard and created our raised bed garden I&#8217;d wanted to grow plants that would attract butterflies and birds to the garden. I spent the winter researching plants that would thrive in my area and that would attract butterflies. If they happened to have scent that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,8,79,59,48],"tags":[4493,4516,128,4497,4499,4515,4498,4492,4512,3184,3185,4502,4513,4511,4510,4508,4504,4517,4518,4506,3435,4521,4503,169,4494,3188,4519,4505,4509,184,1292,113,2228,4496,4514,192,193,4520,4495,4500,4507,4522,199,4501,200,3379,1532],"class_list":{"0":"post-973","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-garden-buzz","7":"category-garden-tips","8":"category-landscaping","9":"category-living-green","10":"category-pets-and-wildlife","11":"tag-anise-swallowtail","12":"tag-asclepias","13":"tag-aster","14":"tag-attract-butterflies","15":"tag-attracting-butterflies","16":"tag-bean","17":"tag-black-swallowtail","18":"tag-black-swallowtail-butterflies","19":"tag-bush","20":"tag-butterflies","21":"tag-butterfly","22":"tag-butterfly-garden","23":"tag-coreopsis","24":"tag-cuphea","25":"tag-dill","26":"tag-feeder","27":"tag-fennel","28":"tag-globe","29":"tag-helianthus","30":"tag-high-winds","31":"tag-hummingbird","32":"tag-joe-pye","33":"tag-larvae","34":"tag-lily","35":"tag-lupine-flowers","36":"tag-milkweed","37":"tag-monarda","38":"tag-nectar","39":"tag-parsley","40":"tag-phlox","41":"tag-planning-a-garden","42":"tag-plants","43":"tag-rudbeckia","44":"tag-safe-haven","45":"tag-sage","46":"tag-scent","47":"tag-sedum","48":"tag-shelter","49":"tag-sheltered-area","50":"tag-shrubs-and-trees","51":"tag-snapdragons","52":"tag-spires","53":"tag-summer","54":"tag-summer-storms","55":"tag-sunflower","56":"tag-variety","57":"tag-zinnia","58":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/garden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}