Butterflies are beautiful, flitting around among all the other lovely flowers you’ve planted, so it makes sense to want to attract them. Some people just like butterflies, and that’s reason enough to plant a butterfly garden.
Butterfly gardens are also popular because it’s fun to watch butterflies, and kids love them. And who doesn’t enjoy the sight of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly?
So if you’re setting out to create a butterfly garden, you’ll want some nectar plants that will keep your adult butterflies fed and happy. A butterfly garden can also provide larval food plants for butterflies when they hatch from their eggs.
Butterflies are attracted to plants that have certain colors, such as red or purple flowers, or large leaves with nectar inside of them. Some things people can do in order attract butterflies in their garden is by having a solitary flower bed so you can get a good view of them fluttering their wings when they land on the flowers, planting some trees and shrubs for butterflies to have shelter, having an artificial structure with water, and by planting certain types of flowers. Artificial structures such as birdbaths and ponds also provide valuable water sources for thirsty butterflies while also attracting them with its up-close views while feeding.
Planting plants that are attractive to butterflies is the easiest way to attract them. Some of these plants include: Bee Balm, Basil, Bergamot, Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), Catmint, Cosmos, Gloriosa Daisy (Gloriosa superba), Marigolds (Tagetes spp.), Nasturtiums, Red-Hot Poker, Rosemary, Salvia, Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum), Stonecrop (Sedum).