What kind of plants should I have in a live butterfly garden?
Creating a Butterfly Garden Butterflies don’t need anything fancy or expensive. Just a large, open, sun-filled area; some flowers, for adults; some food sources, for caterpillars; shelter; puddles; and rocks. You might consider planting an herb garden if you enjoy herbs – many butterfly species do too. Reserving a section of your yard for native flowering plants and for weeds like dandelion, nettle, and milkweed should also help guarantee a good variety of butterflies. It’s best to avoid using any peticides at all. One note for dedicated gardenners who may be appalled at the idea of actually inviting caterpillars in for lunch: very few butterfly species cause harm to garden plants. If they do become a nuisance – for instance, if cabbage whites are decimating your nasturtiums – picking the larvae off by hand is a simple task. About puddles. Butterflies can’t drink from birdbaths or other open water. But give them a damp spot of wet sand or dirt and they’ll often flock around it. In some
