HOW TO
Design Your Very Own Butterfly Garden

By Rachel Werk

Designing a butterfly garden can be an easy way to bring nature into your own backyard. You can do this by simply growing the plants the caterpillars like to eat and the flowers butterflies feed on. Butterfly gardens can be any size - such as window box, a part of your yard, or even as a part of a wildlife area next to your house.
Read these helpful tips before planning your butterfly garden:

Learn the common butterfly species in your area so you know what you are looking for later.
Include both adult butterfly nectar plants and caterpillar food plants in you garden design.
Choose plants that have an abundance of flowers, these are more attractive to butterflies than a single plant with a few flowers.
Avoid or minimize the use of insecticides and herbicides on your lawn and garden.
Plant your flowers in a sunny place and provide some light colored, flat rocks so that the butterflies may bask on a rock to warm their bodies before morning flight.
Provide a few sheltered areas, like shrubbery and large leafed plants to protect them from wind and rain. Butterfly houses are also good for protection as well as a great addition to any garden area.
*** Most importantly, butterflies are easy and fun to watch, so make sure you include a good place to watch the butterflies visiting your gardens.

WHAT PLANTS DO I INCLUDE?

Different species of butterflies sip nectar from flowers on specific types of plants. They also search for specific species of plants upon which to lay their eggs. Here is a list of plants that could be included in your garden depending on what zone you live in.

PERENNIALS	ANNUALS	TREES AND SHRUBS
-Achillea, yarrow -Arabis, rockcress -Asclepias tuberosa, milkweed -Aster, aster -Astilbe, meadowsweet -Chrysanthemum -Dahlia -Dianthus -Echinops exaltatus, globethistle Echinacea, coneflower -Gaillardia, gaillardia -Hemerocallis, daylily -Iberis, candytuft -Primula, primrose -Rudbeckia hirta, black-eyed Susan -Sedum spectable, showy stonecrop -Solidago, goldenrod	-Ageratum houstonianum, floss flower -Centaurea cyanus, cornflower, bachelor's button -Cleome hasslerana, Spider Flower -Cosmos, cosmos -Dianthus -Helianthus, sunflower -Iberis, candytuft -Impatiens, impatiens, touch-me-not -Lobelia, lobelia -Lobularia maritima, sweet alyssum -Petunia, petunia -Phlox, phlox -Scabiosa, pincushion -Tagetes, marigold -Verbena, verbena -Zinnia, zinnia	-Buddleia davidii, butterfly bush -Lonicera, honeysuckle -Rhododendron, rhododendron, azalea -Syringa, lilac -Viburnum, viburnum -Wisteria, wisteria

A FEW OF MY FAVORITES!

Spider Flower - Cleome hasslerana

Common names: spider flower, cleome
Size at maturity: 4-6 feet tall, 4-5 feet wide
Description: annual that sometimes reseeds
Growing conditions: full sun; thrives in heat; drought-tolerant
Function: excellent choice for back of the border, and absolutely lovely!
Zone tolerance: all zones

Lantana - Lantana montividensis

Common names: lantana, shrub verbena, weeping lantana
Size at maturity: to 3 feet (depending on climate) x 5-6 feet wide if not contained.
Description: fast-growing evergreen shrub with a long bloom season; flowers are clusters are 1 inch wide with yellow centers; pink to purple or red around the outside edges. A notorious weed in Florida. All parts are poisonous (if eaten) to humans.
Growing conditions: full sun, well-drained soil, drought-tolerant when mature.
Function: erosion control, hanging basket, greenhouse plant; can be grown as a flower border; shrub, ground cover. A must-have for the butterfly garden.
Zone tolerance: all zones

Purple Coneflower- Echinacea purpurea syn. Rudbeckia purpurea

Common names: purple coneflower
Size at maturity: 5 feet high x 18 inches wide
Description: rough, hairy stems and leaves, flowers 5 inches wide with tallish seed-head centers; flower petals droop from center.
Growing conditions: full sun, well-drained garden soil rich in organic matter; will tolerate some shade; moderate water; deadheading increases bloom; tolerates summer heat
Function: perennial border, butterfly garden, cut flower
Zone tolerance: USDA zones 3-9

HELPFUL SITES:

*University of Minnesota’s Extension Service
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG6711.html

*The ButterflySite

http://www.thebutterflysite.com/

*Minnestota’s Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
“ The Enchanted Garden”–
(plant list for a butterfly garden that you can download – great pictures!)

http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/depts/parks/comopark/conservatory/explore_enchgraden.html

*A How to Guide for Annuals and Perennials
http://www.lynwoodnursery.com/apbook/ap.htm

FOR KIDS:

Everything you ever wanted to know about Butterflies!
Games, coloring pages, Funny Facts.....

Good Luck!

This site was made for NDSU - PLSC 211 - Prof. Lee
Last Updated: October 26, 2003
Please contact me with any questions regarding this site at werkra@mnstate.edu