Butterfly gardening involves planning your garden to attract, retain and encourage butterfly populations. Flowers of similar colors grouped together are more attractive to both butterfly and the gardener. 

Choosing host plants

Select a variety of nectar-producing plants with the aim of providing flowers in bloom throughout the season. This will entice a continuous succession of new visitors to a yard. It is especially important to have flowers in mid to late summer, when most butterflies are active.

For successful butterfly gardening, you need to provide food for more than the adult butterflies. You need to provide for their caterpillar forms as well.

Butterfly caterpillars have a limited host range. Most caterpillars feed on leaves. Some develop on the reproductive parts of flowers or seeds.

Some supposedly good butterfly plants might not attract butterflies in your garden. It may be that a particular plant is not the preferred larval food of local butterflies.

Common butterflies and their caterpillar food plants

Shrubs

Azalea, blueberries, butterfly bush, buttonbush, lilac, privets and sumacs

Cultivated flowers: annuals

Coneflowers, flowering tobacco, impatiens, marigolds, phlox, sunflower and verbena

Cultivated flowers: perennials

Asters, bee balm, butterfly weed, chrysanthemums, daisies, live forever, purple coneflower, sedum and yarrow

Wildflowers

New England aster, bergamots or horsemints, black-eyed Susan, blazing stars, boneset, butterfly flower, coreopsis, ox-eye daisy and purple agertum

Some weedy wildflowers are not appropriate for formal garden settings, but could be used in a wild patch: common milkweeds, dogbane, goldenrods, ironweeds, Joe-Pye weed, nettles and thistles.

Other

Some butterflies, such as the Mourning Cloak (Nymphalidae: Nymphalis antiopa) and Hackberry (Apaturidae: Asterocampa celtis) feed on rotting fruit, sap that oozes from trees, and even dung.

One of the most important conservation decisions we can make is to avoid the use of broad spectrum pesticides sprayed all around the yard. Instead, use less harmful spot treatments on plants troubled with pest insects.

For pest insects, use alternative control methods such as oils, soaps and microbial insecticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Remember that oils and soaps still kill caterpillars if sprayed directly on them. They also will die if they feed on plants treated with a Bt formulation that is toxic to them.

Most butterfly species, such as the Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), lay only a few eggs at a time. This low level of insect population will not kill shrubs or trees. Black Swallowtail (Papilionidae: Papilio polyxenes) larvae, however, can completely consume herbaceous plants such as dill. To avoid killing a beautiful guest, you should be sure of your identification of an insect as a pest before using any pesticide.

A good side effect of the decrease in pesticide use is the increase of natural enemies. Insects such as spiders, lacewings, ladybird beetles and ground beetles, help to control unwanted pests.

Caution: Mention of a pesticide or use of a pesticide label is for educational purposes only. Always follow the pesticide label directions attached to the pesticide container you are using. Remember, the label is the law.