Florida has more than 200 species of butterflies, some of which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.
To attract these delicate creatures, your butterfly garden must provide food for the adult butterflies and their caterpillars. Though many butterflies will drink nectar from a variety of flowering plants, caterpillars are often limited as to which plants they can feed on.
Major Components of a Successful Butterfly Garden
- Adult nectar sources: attract and nourish adult butterflies.
- Larval host plants: attract ovipositing female butterflies and serve as a food source for developing larvae.
- Shelter: vegetation that provides protection from temperature extremes, storms/rain and predators, as well as locations for roosting/sleeping.
- Water source with fountain: allows for easy and consistent access to water for drinking and thermoregulation.
Garden Design
- Provide a combination of adult nectar sources and larval host plants. This attracts a variety of butterfly species; encourages butterflies to remain in your yard, reproduce and build populations instead of just passing through; and allows the gardener to appreciate all butterfly life stages.
- Incorporate native plants into the landscape whenever possible. Most larval host plants are natives. They’re adapted to the region, will produce a small but representative extension of the natural ecosystem and can attract other wildlife.
- Create horizontal and vertical diversity. Choosing plants that have different heights and growth habits creates numerous microclimates, which in turn appeal to a greater diversity of butterfly species, provides shelter and creates levels of feeding opportunities.
- Aim for a consistent host plant and floral venue throughout the growing season. Choose plants that have different blooming times. This ensures the garden remains attractive and productive as long as possible, and it provides food for butterflies during periods of low natural availability.
- Provide a number of different flower colors. Different butterfly species are attracted to different flower colors, so include yellow, orange, white, blue, red, pink and purple flowers.
- Provide a mix of flower shapes. The feeding behavior and proboscis length of a butterfly dictates which flowers will be visited. For example, long-tubed flowers are typically more accessible to species with long proboscis, whereas many composites (daisy-like flowers) provide a feeding platform and easy nectar accessibility for smaller species.
- Plant in shade as well as full sun. This appeals to more butterfly species. Many forest species prefer shadier locations.
- Plant in groupings. Groupings are aesthetically pleasing and provide masses of color. They are more apparent in landscape and allow larvae to locate additional food resources in a shortage.
- Choose appropriate plants for each location. Understand each plant’s basic water, light, and soil requirements so it can perform and grow to its maximum potential.
Garden Maintenance
Select plants suitable for your landscape, and use pesticides carefully to avoid harming butterflies and other beneficial insects.
- Give new plants a good start: Water and mulch new plantings to ensure establishment.
- Fertilize: A regular fertilizing regimen will produce maximum growth and flower production.
- Avoid pesticide application when possible: All butterfly life history stages are sensitive to pesticides. Avoid Bacillus thuringiensis, and when a pest problem arises, treat it locally. Use beneficial insects/natural enemies.
- Learn to identify the butterfly species in your garden: This provides greater enjoyment and allows for the gardener to plant for particular local species.
Benefits of Butterfly Gardening
The most obvious benefit of butterfly gardening is that it attracts wildlife, bringing butterflies and more into your garden for purposes of enjoyment, observation, study and photography.
However, there’s another important reason: ecosystem and habitat conservation.
A well-planned butterfly garden becomes a small but representative sample of the surrounding habitat and as such provides a haven for butterflies and other wildlife to gather, seek shelter, acquire food and water, reproduce, and build populations. Do not underestimate the importance of even a small garden.
Don’t discount the therapeutic benefits. Butterfly gardens provide a soothing retreat from everyday life. If you use herbs to attract butterflies, you’ll have the bonus of aromatherapy.