Creating a Butterfly Friendly Garden!

Creating a Butterfly Friendly Garden!
If you love the beauty of butterflies, this will be the post of you! As myself looking forward

to spring. I thought I would do  an post on the beauty of the Butterfly.
As for a butterfly Garden. It is simple as, 'If you build it', they will come.
The best butterfly gardens take a little planning, but are pretty self sufficient, once they are up and
blooming. Once you have chosen the right flowering plants for the right placement and
remember to provide some water and shelter, then  all you have to do is sit back
and watch for the flutter of the beautiful wings to come into your gardens.
Location-
Though open sunny meadows often come to mind when you think of butterflies, don't worry if you only
have just a small space. They will come wit the right location. A butterfly garden can be a small as a few pots
on your back porch in the city or as large as a your yard, what ever type it may be. Always make sure to
include some shady spots if possible, since some butterflies prefer them. Just remember that the best
butterfly gardens can sometimes look a little overgrown or even a little ragged. They don't always go
for the formal focal point if you are a pristine gardener if that is important to you.
Before You Plant-
You should always avoid any type of pesticides in your garden. Then once you have chosen a spot in
your garden, you can begin with the soil. Use plenty of compost within your soil if you can. This makes
your plants thrive without much additional fertilization, but of course there is very good soils you can
get at your local stores where they sell plants and flowers that will work just fine too. Not everyone can
use compost or has the time. I myself have been using compost for years in a large plastic bin. And it work great. And I have been using all pots for years on my small porch so- Yes! it can be done my friends and Followers:o) [Note: If you should some interest in compost I can do a post on how to do that even living in the city on a back porch!]
Butterfly Buffet-
Most butterflies get the majority of their diet from nectar producing plants, so these should make-up the

largest part of your garden. [note: Then you will have both a hummingbird and Butterfly garden!]  You will
want to pick out native plants when ever possible, as these will thrive with little care and often draw the most
butterflies to yur garden. You will also want to anchor you garden with a few larger nectar production
shrubs - flowering plants in a variety of colors, heights and sizes as well. Be sure to choose flowers in the
early spring as well as late fall as in the fall is when the butterflies sometimes struggle to find food.
Here are some of the Butterflies Favorites to get you started-
salvia-
lantana-
pentas-
aster-
marigolds-
zinnia-
coneflowers- [they come in many different colors]
buddleia- [in choice area's]
Of course not all butterflies rely on just nectar flowering plants. So for those butterflies here are some
flowers for them-
morning cloaks-
red-spotted purples-
Water Source-
Butterflies will get most of the water that they need from nectar in the flowering plants, but not all butterflies

use their delicate proboscises to sip water from dew drops in puddles. So you have to create a place for these few butterflies. What you can do is - first go to your local good -well and find either a medal, plastic,ceramic or thick glass large shallow dish. Once you get it home clean it very well. Then find a good place for it outside that the butterflies can get to it, usually a bit higher up. You might want to put some sand in the bottom of the shallow dish, then add clean water. You most remember to change the water often too.
It can get dirty fast. Also other creatures may use it like that of many birds too. So have fun with it .
Butterflies Raising their Young-
There are many kinds of plants that would provide butterflies to raise their young-caterpillars.

Some of these host plants are:
Milkweed for monarchs-
hollyhocks for painted ladies-
violets for great spangledfri-
Some butterflies and moth caterpillars use trees too, so if you have
space consider adding ash or willow for:
tiger-
swallowtails
morning cloaks-
Butterflies are very fragile creatures and just a raindrop can seem more like a bowling ball to them.
So when bad weather threatens butterflies seek for shelter.
You can buy read made wooden butterfly houses, but if you have planted natural area's of tall grasses
thick shrubs either in your yard or in pots on your porches. Your butterflies can survive over the winter months in these small crevices. And even start a family with with caterpillars. I have seen myself many of
caterpillars in the fall foliage each autumn. So I would not toss the fallen browns leaves out there may be
some creatures in there..
Happy Gardening!

Love you All! Your Wendy!!!

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