Ahhhh! Finally, some sunshine! Well don’t we all feel better now? Of course we do – spring is here and so is the warm weather. This means it’s absolutely time to talk about those magical little creatures we all love… butterflies! In my blog this week I’m going to talk about the best plants to use to attract those ever more elusive beauties to your yard and also what keeps them hanging around.
Butterflies crave nectar. So, giving them a nice selection of nectar rich plants is essential to attracting them and keeping them around. However, what a lot of people don’t think about is providing the butterflies with host plants. These are plants that will act as a place for them to lay their eggs and when the caterpillars hatch they have the host plant as a food source. Below I will give you a list of both – nectar and host plants. My list is not the definitive list, as there are plants that are better for certain types of butterflies than others, it is a general list that is good for Southwestern Ontario and similar climates. It’s a good idea if you’re planning to have a butterfly garden to have several varieties of both host and nectar plants.
Here at Cindy’s we carry a very large selection of butterfly attracting plants, so come on down and talk to any of our wonderful garden center staff and they’ll help guide you through the process of picking the right plants. There really is nothing more calming than sitting in your backyard and watching these beautiful creatures float around. So, without further adieu…
Host Plants
Butterfly Weed:
The absolute best option!
Ornamental Grasses
are excellent!
Honeysuckle &
Wisteria Vine
Sunflowers
Daisies
Milkweed
Nectar Plants
Butterfly Bush:
Best option!
Lavender
Lantana
Black Eyed Susan
Pansies
Daisies
Hollyhock
Sedum
Foxglove
Canna Lilies
Herb Plants
There’s another great way to attract butterflies and help yourself at the same time… Certain herbs will do the trick! Plant these following herbs and attract butterflies while giving yourself some fresh herbs for your eating pleasure!
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Borage
Some other tips to consider: Butterflies need water so if you can have a birdbath or some sort of way to catch some rainwater the little guys would appreciate it. It’s a great idea to help them keep away from predators by providing some shelter if possible. This could be as simple as leaving a rotting log sit in your backyard tucked away somewhere or even leaving a little section of your lawn to grow long and wild.
Hopefully if you follow a few of these tips you’ll have yourself a magical haven full of butterflies in your yard in no time! Good luck with your butterfly garden!
