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It Doesn't Matter If You Haven't Gardened A Day In Your Life, Or If You've Been Doing It For 30 Years! We Show You All The Secrets You Need To Attract Butterflies To Your Garden!
Butterfly Gardening for Beginners
By: Noah Michael
I've been fascinated with insects since childhood and butterflies in particular with their metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis.
A butterfly garden is a fantastic way to promote education and conservation of these winged beauties since increased urbanization is constantly infringing on butterfly habitats. A butterfly garden can come in any size or shape from a fully landscaped backyard, to a small balcony or patio to a window box. Planting the flowers adult butterflies rely on for nectar as well as the host plants the next generation of caterpillars will feed on quickly attracts large numbers of local butterflies. By alternating plants with various blooming cycles you can ensure vigorous butterfly activity year round.
Adult butterflies feed on sweet liquid, such as nectar from flowers. You can plant a variety of flowers to attract adult butterflies including petunias, alyssum, lobelia, cosmos, daylily, and rudbeckia daisies. Vines such as trumpet vine, wisteria or passion vine will quickly fill in and you may also consider shrubs such as hibiscus and butterfly bush.
A great way to jumpstart your butterfly traffic is to use a homemade feeder filled with sugar water. Mix 4 parts water to 1 part sugar, boil until the sugar is fully dissolved and then cool. Use something absorbant like paper towels to soak up the solution and put them in a shallow container on a post a few inches above your flowers. Another easy trick is to do the same with watermelon cuttings, but don't worry about keeping it fresh - they prefer it rotten.
Some butterflies can be observed on moist sand or mud gathering around puddles of water where they feed. The function of this "puddling" is not fully understood, they may be drinking the dissolved minerals, but maintaining a damp, salty area in your yard can be a useful method for attracting these butterflies. It can also be a good idea to put some rocks in your garden giving the butterflies a spot to bask in the morning sun and warm themselves.
Now, the caterpillars are much pickier eaters and most species will only survive on their own specific host plants. Monarch caterpillars, for example, can only live on milkweed plants while female swallowtails look for parsley, dill and fennel to lay their eggs.
Anyone can have success butterfly gardening, just research what butterflies live in your area and then fill your garden with the appropriate host plants and lots of nectar sources.
Lots of Gardening Tips and Photos at http://backyardgardener.blogspot.com
Article Credits
EzineArticles.com