How to Create a Mesmerizing Butterfly Garden

Who doesn’t want a magical, ethereal, whimsical butterfly garden in their own backyard or commercial landscape? We know we do! As we step into spring, we’re embracing all things correlated to vibrant florals, warm sunshine, and graceful butterflies. In this blog, we’ll teach you how to create a dream garden that you and butterflies alike will absolutely love. Let’s get started —

What attracts butterflies?

warm sun to bask in

Sun is a crucial component to the health of a butterfly. In order to take flight, they must warm up their bodies with the sunlight. Because of this, it’s important that the florals you plant catch lots of sunlight so the flower is warm to touch when butterflies land. In addition to landing on flowers, they also love to land on alternate elements such as rocks, blades of grass, or any flat surfaces that thoroughly absorb heat.

*Note that there are climates that butterflies do not enjoy such as wind and excess shade. Strategically place your butterfly garden in an area that feels well balanced and sunny.

h20 is key

Any small water feature is a big hit for butterflies. No, we don’t mean a huge swimming pool or creek. Anything as small as a puny pond or shallow puddle will do! The wet/damp spaces should exist adjacent to the garden for it to attract the groupings of butterflies you’re targeting.

texture & color matter

Aesthetics are important to the attraction of butterflies. Just like us, they enjoy bright, lively colors such as yellows, pinks, purples and oranges. They prefer larger groupings of the same color together versus groupings of many colors at once. More importantly, since they need to land in order to feed, they are generally more drawn to flowers that are clustered or have broad, flat petals that make it easy for them to park at.

Fun Fact: unlike humans, butterflies can see ultraviolet!

flowers we recommend

The best approach to take is to plant a variety of annuals, perennials, weeds, and herbs that flower throughout different times to ensure there’s available nectar beginning in the spring and into the fall. You want to ensure that both butterflies and caterpillars have a constant food source! Here are some of our suggestions:

ANNUALS

Salvia
Ageratum
Zinnia

PERENNIALS

Butterfly Bush (no pun intended)
Black-eyed Susan
New England Aster

WEEDS + HERBS

Dandelion
Thistles
Lavender
Dill

FOR CATERPILLARS

Cherry
Birch
Willow

Note: check your zone and plant accordingly. These suggestions won’t work for every environment. Lastly, take into account what insecticides and other products you’re using outdoors; they may be killing your caterpillars and butterflies!