Butterfly Gardening

Butterfly gardening is the practice of planting certain plants and flowers in order to attract butterflies. There are different reasons for starting butterfly gardens; some are scientific but most are personal. Some institutions and individuals begin butterfly gardening for the sole purpose of tagging monarch butterflies, which will allows scientists to keep track of the growing or decreasing monarch population. The most common reason to start a butterfly garden is for the sheer joy of observing butterflies in their natural habitat.

Attracting Butterflies

Different types of butterflies feed from different types of flowers and plants. If you are aiming to attract a rare type of butterfly to your garden, the good news is that it is possible. The bad news (if you are impatient) is that it may take some time. Now, if you are a generalist and are impartial to the types of butterflies that flock to your garden, you will experience far more rapid results. Flowers that are known to attract butterflies are cone flowers, daisies, sunflowers, lilies and marigolds. You can start gowing some of these from seed in your garden or greenhouse.For the gardeners who hope to attract monarch butterflies, milkweed flowers are a must since their caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed.

Butterfly Gardening Information

• The Butterfly- Dedicated to everything about butterflies. This resource provides an abundance of information on butterfly gardening.
• Butterfly Gardening- Provides information on butterflies. This offers great information for butterfly fanatics and avid gardeners.
• The Butterfly Garden- Provides information about butterfly gardening techniques.
• How to Make Butterfly Gardens- An in depth article provided by the University of Kentucky that details how to start a successful butterfly garden.
• Butterfly Gardening Organization- Written for schools participating in the butterfly garden movement.

The Process

Before commencing the planting process, you must take certain precautions. You need to sterilize the soil to prevent infestation, and you must also prepare to map out exactly where in the garden you will grow each plant and flower so they receive the proper amount of sunlight. It is impossible to accurately determine how long your butterfly garden will take to reach maturity, because different seeds grow at different rates. The amount of money that will be needed to grow the garden will depend on these factors: the amount of space you have to work with, the type of butterflies you hope to attract and the current condition of the area. The final result however can be very rewarding and make good viewing from your summerhouse or log cabin.