It's true. If you plant it, they will come. I'm not sure how the news is delivered but one year after dedicating a section of my yard to their best-loved perennials, pretty little butterflies are dancing all over my garden.
Different butterflies prefer different plants. For instance, the Monarch Butterfly can only lay her eggs on Milkweed. (Send for free Milkweed seeds or purchase Milkweed seedlings here.)Don't worry if you haven't the time to research which butterflies frequent your neighborhood, the lists are never exact. The Butterfly in the above photo is perched on a Pink Evening Primrose though I've never found that plant listed for butterfly gardens. And, the Swallowtail in this photo to the right is perched on Dame's Rocket and that's not on the list either.
Keep it simple. Plant a mix of pretty perennials and see what happens.
Growing in my Butterfly Garden:
Aster, Bee-balm, Butterfly Bushes, Butterfly weed, Coneflower, Coreopsis, Daisy (Shasta), Dame's Rocket, False Indigo, Gayfeather (Liatrus), Goldenrod (Solidago), Milkweed, Phlox, Sage, Salvia, Sedum, Verbena, Yarrow (Achillea)
Save the Monarchs.
Feed the Swallowtails.
1 comment:
Kate,
I've grown to love my Maximillians. It makes me happy after a day of grubbing about trying to make my garden grow, to take a beer out and slip my bare feet into the carpet of morning glories, watch the butterflies flit around, and see those happy yellow faces bobbing above it all.
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