Attracting Butterflies

The aesthetic and entertainment value of butterflies ranks very high for many people, but butterflies are more than beautiful; they are important "threads" that keep the "fabric" of nature from unraveling. Butterflies are extremely important as plant pollinators and as food for other animals (birds, mammals, amphibians, spiders and other insects). There are about 120,000 species of butterflies in the world (10,000 in North America alone).

• Grow Nectar Plants - The main food for adult butterflies is nectar from flowers. As they gather nectar, they also inadvertently pollinate plants at the same time. When planting flowers, group them together to entice butterflies. Butterflies will generally choose a mass of flowers rather than one or two appealing flowers.
• Grow Caterpillar Food Plants - To produce even more butterflies in your garden, provide food for caterpillars (the larval stage of butterflies). They require a different menu than adult butterflies. caterpillars eat the leaves and sometimes flowers and seeds of certain plants. They are often highly selective in their tastes (especially compared to the adults), and some species will eat only one species of plant. The adult female butterfly chooses these plants and then lays her eggs on them. Many larval plants are wildflowers, weeds, and grasses that belong in an informal setting rather than a formal flower garden.
• Choose a Sunny Location - Sun is extremely important for butterflies. Butterflies need sun to keep warm and dry their wings so they can fly. This can only be done when their body temperature is about 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit. You can help butterflies by providing some rocks or evergreens in your garden in spots that get sun early in the day. The rocks will absorb the heat from the sun and the butterflies can perch on them to bask, warm up, and start flying earlier.
• Provide Shelter - A butterfly garden should be planted in a location that is sheltered from the wind. This helps the butterfly in two ways: they are not cooled by breezes, and they do not have to spend extra energy fighting the wind currents as they try to feed, mate and lay eggs.
• Avoid Pesticides - Butterflies are insects, so pesticides that rid your garden of insect pests will also rid your garden of butterflies. This includes the use of bacterial insecticide BT, Bacillus thuringiensais. It will kill butterfly larvae. When necessary, use a homemade, non-toxic spray of soapsuds, garlic, chives, and tabasco to control such insects as aphids.
  

Some butterflies like to drink from the wet edges of mud puddles or wet sandy areas. Other butterflies never feed on nectar; instead, they get nutrients and minerals from rotting fruit, sap and even dung, urine, and carrion. Rotting fruit can be put on a tray to attract butterflies, but be aware that other animals, such as raccoons and possum may also be drawn to it.

How you obtain larval food plants varies with the type of plant. Many flowers, shrubs, and trees can be bought at nurseries. Vegetable plants can be bought as seedlings or seeds. Plants that are generally considered weeds can often be encouraged simply by turning over the soil in an area and leaving it alone. For others, look for them growing naturally, try to gather some seeds and spread them over the bare earth. Some wild flowers, such as milkweed, everlasting, aster, turtlehead and lupine should not be dug out of wild areas. It is better to acquire these plants from nurseries or native plant societies that propagate them.

A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies by Paul A. Opler.
The Peterson Field Guide Series, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1992
Butterfly Gardeners Quarterly, P.O. Box 30931, Seattle WA 98103
The Butterfly Book, by Donald and Lillian Stokes and Ernest Williams, Little Brown, and Co., Boston, 1991

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