Butterfly Gardening

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1011 N. Woodlawn

Kirkwood, Missouri

63122

314-965-3070

MailSCG@aol.com

One of the great joys of having a garden is watching butterflies.  On a sunny June or July morning, when the garden is at its peak, butterflies flit from flower to flower in search of nectar and a sunny spot to rest.

By choosing the right plants and following a few simple guidelines, you can lure many different species to your garden.  Pay extra attention to plant selection, and you can support a full butterfly lifecycle.  While flowers produce nectar, specific host plants are needed so butterflies can lay eggs and feed caterpillars when they emerge.

Butterflies lay their eggs in late spring and hatch 3-6 days after they are laid.  It takes 3-4 weeks for a caterpillar to pupate, and 9-14 days for them to emerge as an adult.

Here is a list of host plants and the butterflies they attract.
 

Host Plant Butterfly
Asclepias/Milkweed Monarch
Asimina triloba/Pawpaw Zebra Swallowtail
Cassia/Senna Cloudless Sulphur
Foeniculum vulgar/Fennel Black Swallowtail
Lindera benzoin/Spicebush Spicebush Swallowtail
Prunus serotina/Black Cherry Tiger Swallowtail
Ptelea Trifoliate/Hop Tree Giant Swallowtail
Salix/Willow Red Spotted Purple

To ensure success with your butterfly garden:

1. Plant your garden in full sun

2. Include host plants

3. Select colorful flowers

4. Don’t use chemical pesticides

5. Enjoy!

Butterfly Garden Favorites
 

Annuals

Perennials Shrubs
Cosmos Aclea/Hollyhocks Buddleia/Butterfly Bush
Eupatorium coelestinum/Purple Ageratum Asclepias incarnata/Swamp Milkweed Caryopteris/Blue Mist Shrub
Lantana Asclepias tuberosa/Butterfly Weed Ceanothus americanus/New Jersey Tea
Lobularia maritima/Sweet Alyssum Aster novae-angliae/New England Aster Cephalanthus/Button Bush
Pentas/Starflower Baptisia/False Blue Indigo Ligustrum/Privet
Tagetes patula/Marigold Centaurea/Mountain Blue Rhododendron/Azalea
Tithonia/Mexican Sunflower Coreopsis Rhus/Sumac
Tropaeolum majus/Nasturtium Echinacea purpurea/Purple Coneflower Syringa/Lilac
Zinnia Eupatorium purpureum/Joe-Pye Weed Vaccinum/Blueberries
  Hemerocallis/Daylilies  
  Leucanthemum/Daisy  
  Liatris/Blazing Star  
  Monarda didyma/Bee Balm  
  Phlox  
  Rudbeckia hirta /Black-Eyed Susan  
  Scabiosa/Pincushion Flower  
  Solidago/Goldenrod  
  Stokesia laevis/ Stokes' Aster  
  Verbena canadensis/Rose Verbena  

 

http://www.sugarcreekgardens.com/garden_guides.htm