How To Attract Butterflies To Your Yard

| Monday, September 10, 2012
By Fred Murnow


With the right plants and flowers and some research you can attract butterflies to your location with ease. There are over 15,000 different types of these winged creatures that we already know about. Scientists have broken butterflies into various families. Pieridaes Butterflies, better known as the whites or Suphors as many of their wings are white or yellow, are very common. Another type, Lycaenidae Butterflies, better known as coppers or blues, are small but extremely beautiful but are more difficult to attract.

While there are feeders and such that can be used, perhaps the easiest and most common ways to lure butterflies to your property is to use specific flowering plants. While you might find there are plantings that can target specific species, there are also plants that can be used to attract butterflies in general. Adult butterflies can be attracted with colorful flowers such as red, purple and yellow. Some of the most common flowers that work well are butterfly weed and milkweed. These plants grow in many different climates and are often used to attract butterflies to your yard.

You may wish to first do some research to see what types of butterflies are common in your region. Plan which type you're interested in attracting and combine that with how to best do so. The giant swallowtail caterpillar, for example, favors prickly ash and citrus trees while painted lady butterflies prefer thistle and mallow. With such specific tastes you can really focus your butterfly garden to particular kinds of butterflies. It's easy to see how a little research can go a long way in making the most of your garden space.

Adult butterflies feed on nectar and will only do so in direct sunlight. It follows then that most of the plants, trees and flowers that attract them also require full or partial sun. Pick a sunny place on your property that gets at least 5 hours of sun a day. After starting your garden avoid using any pesticides as they can easily kill both butterfly and caterpillar alike. "You can also provide places to bask in the sun such as large flat rocks or a broad leaf bushes," says Bryan Castillo with a Parsippany landscaping company. Butterflies use these places to both rest and warm their wings.

A butterfly garden can be a fun and rewarding project. If researched and executed properly, you can bring these winged creatures to your yard year after year. Do your homework and find out exactly which plants are best suited for your area and how to care for them. Try and pick perennials that will come back every year to reduce maintenance. Not only can you create a beautiful garden area for yourself but attract and feed a wide variety of insect wildlife.




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