Black Swallowtail Butterfly

BUTTERFLIES

Butterfly images appear on everything these days - fabric, wallpaper, candles, hair accessories - so it’s no surprise that gardeners entice them into the garden to view fluttering gems.

Attract these winged beauties to your garden by planting drifts of color that catch the attention of passing adult butterflies. Nectar flowers favored by butterflies include lantana, penta, summer phlox, purple coneflower, Mexican milkweed, butterfly bush and lavender.

To keep adult butterflies in the area and to encourage them to lay eggs, plant host plants for their caterpillars. Be warned though­ - caterpillars are voracious eaters and can totally consume their host plants. Best caterpillar plants for our area include Mexican milkweed, parsley, dill, fennel and passion vine.

Enjoy the wonder of the metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly by planting a butterfly garden and watching all the stages of butterfly life.