Butterfly Gardens

Did You Know:  Breeding – When two insects mate for the purpose of reproduction, breeding can bring change as two different parents create a new type of baby bug.

One of the most rewarding gardens you can grow is a butterfly garden, a garden that attracts butterflies to come and live there and to raise their butterfly families.  One way to make a butterfly garden is to plant dill, an herb that attracts monarch caterpillars and butterflies.

When the mother monarch butterfly finds good-tasting dill plants, she will lay her eggs there.  When the little caterpillars hatch from the egs, they’ll have plenty of food to eat as they grow to eventually become adult butterflies.  Another plant that will attract monarchs is the milkwee, which sets a good background for butterfly breeding.

Here’s a list of some other things to plant and which bugs like it:

• cabbage – cabbage butterfly
• clover – the wooly bear caterpillar; tiger moth
• parsley – black swallowtail
• dogwood – common blue butterfly
• trumpet vine – plebeian sphinx moth
• cosmos – hummingbird moth
• larkspur – all different types of butterflies

Many of the flowers that you plant for the butterflies will also attract moths.  And although they seem a lot alike, they are different in four ways.

Differences Between Moths and Butterflies

1. Butterflies hold their wings together while at rest; moths lay them falt.
2. Butterfly antennae have bumps on the ends; moth antennae are thick and feathery.
3. Butterflies prefer the daytime; moths come out at night.
4. Butterfly bodies are thin; moth bodies are usually thick.

Here’s a recipe to enjoy from the dill you planted for your butterflies!

Dilly Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon dried dill (finely diced)
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 dash of seasoning salt

Stir and serve with crackers or chips or vegetables.

Variations:  Try adding cream cheese; olives, sandwich spread, or pineapple.

Atracting Winged Wildlife to Your Backyard

Femail Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

If you want to attract winged wildlife to your own yard, the first question you need to answer is:  which wildlife species can you attract?  After, it’s fruitless to intall a purple martin house if there are no purple martins to be found in your corner of the country. 

See Wildlife Profiles on this site to find descriptions, ranges, and tips about how to attract many species of birds, butterflies, moths, dragonflies and damselfies.   Once you’ve deterined which species live in your vicinity, you can design your wildlife habitat either to entice a particular group, such as hummingbirds, dragonflies, moths, bees, birds, or swallows, or to invite a viriety of species to take up residence right outside your door.

You’ll also need to decide just how large a wildlife habitat you’re ready and willing to create.  A wildlife-friendly garden doesn’t need to be large to do the job.  With careful planning, you can increase the winged population of your yard noticeably with a habitat covering as little as 10 x 10 feet if you already have existing trees and shrubs. 

Of course, the larger the habitat the greater the rewards.  You might well find yourself starting small and then being inspired to add on over the years. 

Basics for Winged Backyard Wildlife

No matter what size garden you have in mind, you need to remember the basic scret to creating a habitat welcoming to wildlife.  Simply put, the creature comforts that make your yard a more nature-friendly place are the same ones we all need for survival:  food, fresh water, protective cover, and a cozy shelter.

Food preferences vary, depending of course on the particular species and also at times, on the location and time of year.  In addition to insects and worms, differenet types of winged wildlife and their offspring need seeds, leavesd, nuts, nectar, fruits, berries, and even tree sap for fuel.  Growing trees, shrubs, ground covers, and flowers that produce food in summer will certainly entice winged creatures to come for a visit.  However, they’ll be more likely to stay awhile, and perhaps even nest, when there’s an abundance of food available throughout each of the four seasons.

Shelter is very important to wildlife when the weather is going against them.  Dense deciduous trees and shrubs as well as evergreens provide not only a much needed refuge from the elements, such as a sudden downpour, pounding hail, a blizzard, or searing heat, but also protection from predators and a safe place to breed or just rest for the night. 

Then, there are the grasses, low-growing conifers, and trailing blackberries that create a sanctuary for ground-nesting birds, a windfall of insects for ground-feeders, and places for dragonflies to perch.  Even vines, such as Virginia creeper or honeysuckles, offer a place where birds butterflies and moths can perch and nest.

For me, I decided to plant fragrant bushes, shrubs and flowers to enhance the backyard’s appeal to me and insects and birds, alike!

Water, Please!

A clean, accessible year-round water source is a necessity that’s easily overlooked, yet it is often more scarce than food in many urban and suburban landscapes.   Always indispesable in especialy hot or dry areas, wildlife water sources are extremely crucial during the summer.  A small piond or pool is always ideal, but even a rudimentary birdbath can meet birds’ needs for a place to drink and bathe. 

Of course, it’s not just birds that need water.  If you meet wildlife’s basic need for water, you’ll be guaranteed to attract a wide variety of butterflies and beneficial bugs, too.  Once they’ve discovered a source of water in your backyard, many will keep coming back, and they’ll bring others!

Plants to consider:  Rhododendrons, azaleas, and flowering dogwood provide a complete package of food, shelter, and nesting sites for a variety of winged creatures.