Attracting butterflies to your garden is a rewarding experience. It is important to note, though, that you must abandon the use of pesticides as they are fatal to all stages of a butterfly’s development. There are four stages to a butterfly’s life cycle: egg, larva, chrysalis (pupa), and adult. All stages of the life cycle require specific plants to ensure the attraction of butterflies. An adult butterfly lays its eggs on a host plant. The larva (second stage) emerges after about a week and immediately begins to feed on the host plant. When the larva is ready to begin the chrysalis stage, it moves from the host plant to a somewhat hidden location – out of harms way. The final stage is the adult butterfly. Butterflies like sunny locations and broad flowers.
To attract a wide variety of butterflies, try planting some of the following plants:
Host plants (larval food):
Birch tree
Butterfly weed
Daisy
Dill (favored by Tiger Swallowtail)
Elm tree
Hollyhock
Lamb’s Quarters
Lilac
Milkweed (favored by Monarch)
Mallow
Nettle
Oak tree
Plum
Queen Anne’s Lace
Snapdragon
Thistle
Nectar plant (adults):
Ageratum
Bee Balm
Birch tree
Butterfly bush
Cherry tree
Cinquefoil
Coreopsis
Cosmos
Daylily
Heliotrope
Liatris
Lilac
Nasturtium
Petunia
Phlox
Rudbeckia
Russian olive
Salvia
Sedum
Snapdragon
Spirea
Sunflower
Viburnum
