More About Butterly Gardening

Typically, the butterfly garden is more about plants and plant selection than design. Butterfly gardening is a fun, educational way to enjoy nature’s most abundant form of wildlife – insects! A basic understanding of the life history of butterflies, their food needs and the plants that provide these is all you need to plan and grow a garden suited for butterflies. Butterfly gardening requires some knowledge of local butterfly species, flowers that are attractive to nectar-feeding adults, and host plants for the developing caterpillars.

While making a butterfly garden, the possibilities of what to include in your butterfly garden design are endless. Below are some hints to aid get you began. They’re designed to spark the creative process of your mind and get you began on your way to making a beautiful butterfly garden.

Before you even start your butterfly garden, discover which species of butterflies are in your area. Consider taking an exploratory hike around your location with a butterfly identification book. This may take a bit extra time and effort, but the outcomes will be worth it. After you’ve compiled your list of local butterfly species, make sure to write down in your butterfly garden plan what these particular species of butterflies use for nectar and nutrient plants.

Make certain that your garden is in a location that brings at least six hours of sunlight per day. Butterflies are cold-blooded creatures and therefore do better where they’re warm and sheltered.

Wind may be a butterfly’s biggest enemy so make sure to have plenty of wind protection in your design. You may plant tall bushes and other plants in order to make a wind break, but a location that avoids heavy winds is even better.

The best of all would be a butterfly garden placed on the sunny side of your home with windbreaks on both the west and east sides, or wherever the prevailing wonds come from in your area. Try and situate your garden close to a window so you may view the butterflies from indoors. Provide seating outside too.

If possible, you could excavate an area and build a stone wall around it. This would make the ideal windbreak for your butterflies. Mmake gravel pathways around your garden to save walking in mud.

There are most creative ways for building a butterfly garden. Take your time to design a garden that you’ll enjoy and be proud of.