Landscaping that Flies

 Butterfly gardening

Butterfly gardening  has become a rewarding outdoor hobby that has swept the country. But what exactly is butterfly gardening? Quite simply, it is the practice of attracting butterflies to your yard by altering your landscape, planting common plants and flowers that they use. Planning and creating a butterfly landscape is a wonderful family activity and a great educational project that will engage the younger ones' attention. Creating a butterfly garden is not only a great landscape project to take on, but also makes a beautiful addition to your yard.  

Butterflies are losing their habitats to new subdivisions and shopping malls.  Creating gardens could help ensure the continued and increased survival of common butterflies. And as more people plant these gardens, corridors are created that assist with the migration of butterflies and hummingbirds.

Butterflies are members of the insect order Lepidoptera- composed of butterflies, skippers and moths. To have a successful butterfly garden, you need to understand their life cycle.  Lepidoptera develop in four stages, involving dramatic changes in form and function of the insect from stage to stage, which is “complete metamorphosis.”

The first stage is the egg.  Depending upon the species, eggs may be laid singly, in rows or in clusters of anywhere from a few to several hundred. Most butterflies need sunny areas for mating and laying their eggs. The second stage in the butterfly life cycle is the larva or caterpillar. The final stage is the beautiful winged form.

The first step to creating a butterfly garden is observation and identification. Determine what types of butterflies reside in your area. Observe them in the area. Visit local libraries for field guides. The Internet is a good source of information on butterflies and butterfly gardening.

Many butterflies are residents of specific habitat types, such as forests, prairies or mountains. Consider whether your garden can imitate the habitats of the butterflies you observe locally. Butterflies also live within specific temperature ranges: tropical vs. temperate, for example. It won’t do you any good to provide the ideal habitat for a tropical species if you live in Colorado, because it doesn’t have the proper temperature range for their survival.

There is no one recipe for a successful garden.  However, to insure their survival, it is important to provide the environment needed by butterflies in your region. Different species of butterflies have different lifestyles, so a good butterfly garden should have a variety of habitats. The more the landscape matches their natural habitat, the greater your chances of attracting butterflies and convincing them to stay. The elements of a successful butterfly garden include food sources for both adult and larval stages, adequate sun light, shelter and water.

Larval food plants are commonly referred to as “host plants.” Most butterflies will only lay eggs on plants that are a suitable food source for their young. Many caterpillars are limited to one or a few closely related host plants. There are no general characteristics that make recognizing a good larval food plant easy. You must research to know what host plants to provide for specific butterflies.

Adult butterflies get their nourishment from flower nectar, and they will feed on a variety of different sources. Unlike caterpillars, they will investigate any possible nectar source. There are three characteristics of flowers that attract a butterfly’s attention: flower shape or arrangement, color and fragrance. Butterflies must land in order to feed, so the shape of blooms or bloom clusters should provide a “landing pad” for them.

Another important design feature of the butterfly garden is that you should have flowers in bloom throughout the growing season. Members of the aster family (daisy-type flowers) are excellent choices. Other good choices are tubular-shaped blooms that contain large amounts of nectar, such as salvia, morning glory, daylily and trumpet vine. Certain colors are more effective in attracting butterflies. They gravitate towards the colors pink, red, orange, purple, white and yellow. They also see ultraviolet light invisible to the human eye, which allows them to distinguish patterns in flowers that we don’t see. Strong, sweet scented flowers such as heliotrope, spicebush, and clethra seem to be some of the best butterfly attractants. Butterfly plants may be trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants such as annuals, perennials, grasses and herbs. Many of the best butterfly plants are common “weeds” and native wild flowers.

An ideal location for your butterfly garden is in an area that receives at least six hours of full sunlight daily. Sunlight is important, not only for reproduction but for drying wet wings and raising body temperatures for flying.  To provide sunny locations, leave part of your garden open and unobstructed, which also gives butterflies room to escape their predators. You can place light-colored stones in your garden for the butterflies to rest upon. Since different species of butterflies take nectar at different times of the day, be sure to place some nectar plants where they will always be in the sun whenever the butterflies arrive.

A totally open garden is not an ideal habitat; however, since butterflies are such delicate creatures, they tend to be easy victims of strong winds and storms. It is therefore necessary to provide a safe haven for them to escape harsh weather. A good choice when you create a butterfly garden is a nice 'tucked away' location that avoids heavy winds in the first place. A row of shrubs, a large tree or a low outcropping can break the force of the wind and provide safe refuge. Willow, poplar and wild cherry trees create shelter and are larval food sources for several species. A butterfly box attached to a tree may also provide a source of refuge for butterflies.

Also, be sure your butterfly garden is pesticide free so that you don't harm the very creatures that you want to attract.  Even some organic products are just as devastating to butterflies and other beneficial insects as they are to targeted insect pests. For example, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) won’t just get rid of the cabbage white butterflies on your broccoli and cabbage—it kills all butterflies and larvae! Instead of a chemical, try releasing lady bug beetles or other predatory beneficial insects.

Like all living creatures, butterflies need water to survive, but they cannot drink from open water. Instead, provide them with a mud puddle, from which they will acquire not only moisture, but also vitamins and nutrients released in the soil. By simply letting the hose run on one area until it is muddy, you provide all that a butterfly needs in the way of water. Small dishes with rocks or other perches in them can also serve as butterfly watering holes.

Hanging baskets and other containers can also be used to create a butterfly garden in an area you might not have thought would support one, such as patios and small balconies in apartments. Window boxes or hanging baskets on a fence may make it easier for you to see your butterflies.

Be aware that your butterfly landscape probably isn’t going to be perfect the first year. Watch what’s happening in your landscape and bear in mind that changing the landscape is half the fun.