Things You'll Need:
- Flowers (native to your area)
- Twigs, stones, birdhouse, or other item to use as shelter
- Dirt/Sand
- Small dish or container (optional)
- Water Source
- Flat Stones
- Fruits, nuts, berries (optional)
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Step 1
Select a variety of larval plants (i.e., milkweed, marigolds, Queen Anne’s lace and violets) and nectar plants (i.e., sunflowers, lilacs, snapdragons and zinnias). Adult butterflies looking for food are attracted to red, yellow, orange, pink or purple blossoms. Look for plants of many colors and choose ones that will bloom at different times to ensure that butterflies will visit your yard all summer long.
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Step 2
Identify a sunny location in your yard. Be sure the area receives at least five hours of sun a day, ideally from mid morning to mid afternoon. Adult butterflies typically only feed in sunny areas. You will also need to make sure the area is sheltered from wind.
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Step 3
Plant your “larval” plants to provide food for caterpillars. Caterpillars will eat these plants as they grow.
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Step 4
Plant a variety of nectar plants such as sunflowers, lilacs, snapdragons and zinnias to feed the adult butterflies. Nectar producing plants should be grown in clusters in open sunny areas.
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Step 5
You can provide other food sources including fruits, nuts and berries, if you wish.
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Step 6
Provide some spots for shelter. Shelter can come from a birdhouse or other structure or from a loosely assembled pile of rocks and twigs.
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Step 7
Create a mud puddle (or mix dirt/sand and water in a small dish or container). This will provide butterflies with nutrients and essential salts as well as water. Butterflies don’t “drink” water directly, so they get water from “puddling” in mud and wet sand. When conditions are dry, be sure to keep the mud wet.
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Step 8
Place flat stones or other resting spots throughout the garden to allow butterflies an opportunity to rest in your garden.
