Posted on July 25th, 2019
There’s nothing more majestic than watching butterflies flit about in your garden, sunning themselves on your flowers. These occurrences are cherished because catching them visiting your garden is rare. But, if you design your gardens in a way that is more inviting to butterflies, you will see them much more and they might even decide to stay permanently. Here are a few tips to get you started on attracting butterflies to your garden.
First and foremost, if you are trying to attract butterflies to your garden then it’s best to try not to kill them when they do. Pesticides don’t just kill pests, they kill all insects indiscriminately. There are other more natural ways to get rid of pests without harming other beneficial insects.
The most obvious way you are going to attract butterflies is by planting flowers. Butterflies need a good and reliable source of nectar year-round so planting flowers that bloom during the spring, summer, and fall will keep butterflies coming back all year until they migrate south for the winter. Try planting these butterfly-attracting flowers and see what works best for your garden.
Butterflies love flowers and if you want to attract many different species you will need to plant a variety of different flowers. Small butterflies have shorter proboscis and will have a hard time drinking from larger flowers. So, by choosing different sizes, colors, and shapes you’ll be able to attract all butterflies big and small.
You should always keep your butterfly garden away from your bird feeding area for obvious reasons. If you have a bird feeder in the front yard, then plant your butterfly garden in the back to reduce the chances of your garden become an all-you-can-eat butterfly buffet.
Butterflies spend a lot of time soaking up the sun but they aren’t working on their tan. Butterflies are ectotherms, which means they can’t control their body temperature and must depend on the sun to keep them warm. Newly emerged butterflies also rely on the sun to dry their wings, so choose a spot in your yard with plenty of sun (six or more hours) for your butterfly garden.
If you provide enough nectar, then butterflies will want to stick around so they don’t have to travel so far. Put up a few butterfly houses to entice them to move in. Butterfly houses are like birdhouses but have long narrow slots for butterflies to squeeze into but keeps birds out. They should be placed about four feet off the ground in an area that is protected from the wind. Place a twig or small branch inside for butterflies to perch on.
It’s hard to tend to your butterfly gardens when there is so much yard work to do. Let the pros at Turf Unlimited take care of it for you. We provide lawn care and pest control services that will take the burden off your shoulders this year.
Call us at (888) 649-9919 or contact us on our website for more information.
