The Butterfly Lady shares tips for attracting butterflies to your garden

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The Butterfly Lady shares tips for attracting butterflies to your garden

by Jacqueline

May 15, 2008

Butterflies enthrall and intrigue people of all ages. Clearly they are gorgeous as these shots attest. They were taken by my colleague Karin last month at the Butterflies Go Free exhibit at the Montreal Botanical Garden.

Butterfly and flower

Butterfly expert Judith Levicoff points out their symbolic significance, especially in their transformation from caterpillar to winged wonder. “In many different religions, it's all about rebirth and the cycles you go through. And it's fascinating that something so ugly can become something so beautiful. Also, they're not frightening, but gentle and mysterious."

She adds that butterflies take four weeks to be born, then live only two to four weeks.

Judith has been writing and teaching about butterflies since the late 1980s. She's often asked how to choose flowers for your garden that will attract butterflies. Here's her advice:

• Butterflies see in the ultra-violet range and are attracted by smell and color. They like to rest and relax on flowers, and they love nectar-producing plants.

• A buddleia bush (or summer lilacs) will attract every butterfly that comes into your area. From there, you can research what kinds of flowers and plants are suitable for butterfly babies.

• Butterflies will lay eggs only on plants that will feed their caterpillars; for example milkweeds will support monarchs.

• Plant native whenever possible and don't use pesticides.

• Butterflies need a sunny location with at least six hours of sun per day.

• Butterflies need a water source or mud; males especially draw minerals from these sources.

• Have a place in your garden where you can sit and enjoy watching them.

• An untidy woodpile makes an ideal roost for butterflies in the winter.

• The top two places in California to see butterflies in the winter are Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay.

• Pick up a copy of Petersen's Field Guide to Caterpillars or for further questions, contact Judith Levicoff at thebutterflylady@juno.com.

Flower Fact of the Day: Cactuses may be prickly but they all have flowers. Read more at macon.com/204/story/351510.html.

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Comments

Ginny Kraus | Reply
May 15, 2008

I live in Maryland and would like to attract butterflies to my garden. The soil outside our townhome is basically clay with rocks. I have bought quality soil to mix in with the dirt and emclosed the flowers I do have with the good soil when filling in the holes as I plant then. Anyone have any ideas for the dirt I have to work with and flowers to put in?
Thanks.
Ginny