Butterfly Garden Basics

You can design a garden that will attract butterflies. The flowering plants and peaceful butterflies will help ensure a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere in your garden. Put your butterfly garden in a place where you can sit and enjoy it. Many people like to place them around a gazebo, beside a walking path or near their porches where they can spend some time adoring these mysterious creatures.

Butterflies love the sun and require the heat from the sun to move. You may want to place dark colored stones around the area so that the butterflies can absorb the warmth whenever they need it. Concrete benches make nice warm landing areas and offer a great place to sit observe the butterflies up close. Choose a sunny location for your butterfly garden. Thankfully, the plants that attract butterflies also thrive in direct sun.

The types of plants you will need will depend on where you live. Find out which butterflies are native to your area, then find out which types of plants they are attracted to. You will need to plant the ones that provide nectar for the adult butterflies and the correct types of leaves for the offspring to eat. Remember not to use pesticides near your butterfly garden or you will kill the butterflies, defeating the purpose.

Butterflies are very lightweight and have very large wings when compared to their body mass. Therefore, they do not like the wind very much and have difficulty getting around when it is windy. This is why you should choose an area protected from the wind when you select a location for your butterfly garden. If you do not have a good place, simply build small fence or place prefabricated fence sections near your butterfly garden. They should provide enough protection to keep the butterflies happy.

Butterflies need a moist area to survive. They cannot drink from standing water, so they need dew and moist soil to collect moisture. The plants that attract butterflies will make some shade on the ground which will help keep the soil moist.

Some people choose to place a large shallow container filled with dirt or sand underneath their butterfly attracting bushes. The container should not drain and will hold more moisture than the ground. You can even mix in some table salt to provide extra minerals for your butterflies. Water it two or three times a week to ensure that it stays fairly wet, but do not leave standing water on the top. If the weather is particularly hot or dry, you may want to water more often. Keep a garden hose reel nearby for easy access and watering. Relax and enjoy the butterflies as they live their lives in your beautiful butterfly garden.