How to Create a Butterfly Garden

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In this Article:Article Summary Choosing the Plants Picking the Location and Planting the Garden Adding Other Butterfly-Friendly Elements Community Q&A 19 References

A butterfly garden is a great way to attract a variety of different butterflies to your yard.

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Not only are butterflies are delicate and beautiful to look at, but since they pollinate plants, they’re actually really important to our ecosystem, too. When you’re planning your garden, research the plants that butterflies in your area prefer. Be sure to include nectar plants for their food, as well as host plants for caterpillars!

1 Research the species of butterflies that are native to your area. In order for the plants in your garden to attract butterflies, it’s essential to understand which species might be living nearby. To determine this, you can research online, read a butterfly field guide, or talk to local horticulturists and butterfly gardeners. If there’s a local butterfly garden in your area, you may want to plan a trip to see what’s planted there, as well!^[1]
- For a map of butterflies found in each U.S. state, visit https://www.thebutterflysite.com/butterfly-gardening-by-area.shtml.
- The butterflies in your area will typically feed on plants that are native to your region.
- Once you know which butterflies can be found in your area, use that information to decide which plants to include in your garden.
2 Plant a variety of nectar plants for your butterflies to feed on. Adult butterflies get most of their food and moisture from the nectar produced by certain flowers. While some species prefer some plants over others, butterflies will often feed on any nectar-producing plants, especially those with brightly-colored flowers.^[2]
- Some popular nectar-producing plants that will attract butterflies include purple coneflowers, milkweed, butterfly weed, asters, marigold, zinnia, cosmos, and lantana.^[3]
Short on space? Grow your plants in containers instead of in…