4-H. NC 4-H Youth Development. How to Create a Butterfly friendly garden to attract, feed and care for Butterflies.
Butterfly Gardening - Plants to Attract Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and Wildlife. Butterfly gardening has become one of the most popular hobbies today. What could bring more joy than a beautiful butterfly fluttering around your garden?! Here are some tips to make your garden especially butterfly-friendly. Your first step should be to find out which butterflies are in your area. You can do this by spending some time outdoors with your field guide to see which species are around. Plant your butterfly garden in a sunny location (5-6 hours each day), but sheltered from the winds. Butterflies need water just like we do. DO NOT USE PESTICIDES IN YOUR GARDEN! Butterflies use two different types of plants - those that provide nectar for the adults to eat (nectar plant), and those that provide food for their offspring (host plant). Below are list of the more common butterflies with their host and nectar plants.
To learn more about butterfly gardening, visit our articles section. Attracting Butterflies. Brightly colored butterflies can be a welcome addition to your wildlife garden, not only because of their beauty, but also because of their usefulness in pollinating flowers. Attracting butterflies involves incorporating plants that serve the needs of all life stages of the butterfly.
The insects need places to lay eggs, food plants for their larvae (caterpillars), places to form chrysalides and nectar sources for adults. Butterfly Garden Necessities Plant native flowering plants - Because many butterflies and native flowering plants have co-evolved over time and depend on each other for survival and reproduction, it is particularly important to install native flowering plants local to your geographic area. Native plants provide butterflies with the nectar or foliage they need as adults and caterpillars. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has lists of recommended native plants by region and state. Common Butterflies and the Plants Their Caterpillars Eat. Some Great Plants for Attracting Butterflies in Central NC.