Information on Butterfly Gardens

Benefits

• A butterfly garden is mutually beneficial for you and the butterflies. While you indulge in the therapeutic value of butterfly gazing, you provide a safe habitat for the local butterfly population. Butterfly larvae attract small mammals, birds and reptiles, which will provide your garden with natural pest control. Children can learn a lot about the cycles of nature by observing butterflies.

Plant Choices

• A butterfly garden is mutually beneficial for you and the butterflies. While you indulge in the therapeutic value of butterfly gazing, you provide a safe habitat for the local butterfly population. Butterfly larvae attract small mammals, birds and reptiles, which will provide your garden with natural pest control. Children can learn a lot about the cycles of nature by observing butterflies.

Other Components

• Butterflies need a water source for drinking and cooling off. They can't go into puddles or pools, so provide a pan of damp sand. They sometimes need to raise their body temperature, so provide some stones in a sunny spot for basking. The stones absorb heat from the sun, and the butterflies absorb heat from the stones. Plan a path through your garden, making it more convenient for you to stroll through and tend. A bench or lawn chairs tucked among the plants provide a comfortable seating area for viewing butterflies.

Considerations

• Butterflies are delicate creatures. Place your garden where it is protected from the elements, such as wind and rain. Plant it against a wall, fence or line of trees for shelter, but ensure it receives plenty of sun, as butterflies need warmth and most of the plants they are attracted to require full to partial sunlight. Butterflies are susceptible to pesticides. Because they help promote natural pest control, a healthy butterfly garden eliminates the need for chemical pest control.