Create a Live Butterfly Garden

Thanks for visiting our live butterfly garden information site! We've got all kinds of information on creating your own butterfly garden and raising your own butterflies.

If your goal is to have a live butterfly garden, it's up to you to create an inviting area for them. You'll start with plants that will attract the caterpillars, then available food for adult butterflies, and then an area that butterflies are able to breed.

For the majority of butterflies you will also need to create a wind break or shelter. Even though they prefer wide open areas with a lot of sunlight, providing any type of windbreak will keep them safe from the high winds that can upset them.

Butterflies love the mud and a variety of flowers

You may have noticed in the past that butterflies have a tendency to gather at the edges of nearby mud puddles. No one knows why butterflies seem to love the mud puddles as much as they do, but one thought has been that there might be certain minerals in the water that they require. Knowing that, it might be a good idea to keep several areas of your garden damp to help attract the butterflies.

Female butterflies require access to plants that will feed the caterpillars that will hatch from the females eggs. When it comes to laying eggs the black swallowtails head for dill or parsley, and the Monarch butterflies will use only milkweed plants. The female butterflies actually spend quite a bit of time searching for the host plants they want to lay eggs on.

Adult butterflies ingest the nectars from a variety of flowers. Flowers containing a high content of nectar are great for attracting butterflies. Most of these flowers have bright colors and a sweet scent, while there are a few butterfly species that prefer to feed on the honeydew that aphids produce. There are some butterflies that will feed on plant spa, rotting fruit, or bird feces!

When you plan your garden be sure to create one large area of flowers that are attractive to butterflies. You might consider planting flowers that will bloom sequentially to draw the butterflies in on a regular or even continuous basis.

Weeds and herbs are attractive to butterflies

Keep in mind that a lot of the flowers butterflies prefer are considered weeds by humans. One example would be dandelions, which are extremely attractive to several different types of butterflies. Another weed that a variety of butterflies look for is thistle.

If you have planted an herb or vegetable garden you may have already noticed some butterflies that tend to gather on certain plants there. The black swallowtail butterfly prefers herbs like parsley and dill, while the European cabbage butterflies congregate on cabbage, broccoli, and other cruciferous veggies.

For some great tips and inspiration, check out our butterly garden videos.

Keep your live butterfly garden free from chemicals

Unless it's an absolute necessity, refrain from using insecticides in your garden as they could kill off the caterpillars. There are some of the insecticides that could kill adult butterflies as well should they land on plants that have been sprayed, or if they drink nectar that is poisoned.

If your goal is to attract butterflies to your garden you'll need to plant cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli, dill and parsley, and a variety of flowers. Some excellent flowers to include in a live butterfly garden are: lilacs, asters, cosmos, zinnias, thistles, sunflowers, bee balm, butterfly bush, and sweet pea.

It won't require a lot of extra work to make your live butterfly garden inviting and hospitable to butterflies. It's simply a matter of choosing flowers and vegetable plants they love, keeping a small area damp or wet for them, and you'll be able to attract a great number of butterflies.

Live Butterfly Garden