Seeing a butterfly glide past you is sure to bring a flurry of excitement. Did you know there are a few tricks of the trade to attract them to your backyard?
Butterfly watching ranks high among outdoor pleasures. Gardeners can do a lot to attract and keep butterflies around throughout the growing season.
You can plant flowers to attract butterflies. Flying takes a lot of energy, and adult butterflies need a lot to eat. They are drawn to flowers, and eat pollen and nectar, which contain energy-rich sugars and fats.
It is important to provide food for the larval stage of butterflies as well. Sometimes getting the butterflies you want is as easy as growing the plant the larvae feed on. Most butterflies lay their eggs on certain species or families of plants. Monarchs prefer milkweeds. Black swallowtail larvae do well on dill and carrot tops. Fritillaries prefer violet leaves.
Butterfly gardens require gardeners who are willing to share the bounty of green growth–for butterfly caterpillars are gluttonous eaters. Even to a generous gardener, however, some larvae are unwelcome. Cutworm caterpillars are particularly destructive and Hornworms can whittle tomato plants to stem in short order. If you use pesticides, use them sparingly and only when you have a problem. Pesticides do not discriminate between good insects and bad ones.
A wealth of butterflies indicates the overall well-being of the local ecosystem. Butterflies are a good measure of good gardening.
The Beauty of the Butterfly
- From below, the black swallowtail can be separated from pipevine and dark female eastern tiger swallowtails by the two rows of red-orange spots. They are separated from spicebush swallowtails by the complete row of spots in the middle area: There are no “missing” spots, and there is a small spot just to the basal (inner) side of the median row.
- On adult monarchs, the upper surfaces of the wings are rusty or tawny orange with black veins; the wing edges are black with small white spots. The undersides of wings are lighter orange or yellow-brown. The veins are darker on females, and males have a black spot on their hindwings.
- The regal fritillary is a large butterfly with reddish-orange forewings. The hindwings are blackish-gray with silvery-white spots. As with all brush-footed butterflies, the first pair of legs are shortened, somewhat hairy-looking, and useless for walking.
Find out more about butterflies in the MDC’s Field Guide.
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