Middleton Garden Center Hours: OPEN 10AM TO 5PM MONDAY THRU SATURDAY / 11AM TO 4PM SUNDAY Closed on Easter Sunday

Blog Entry

Employment

Brightly colored butterflies are a welcome visitor to any landscape. But gardeners value them for their usefulness as pollinators, as well as for their beauty. You can attract them to your yard by planting shrubs and perennials that serve the needs of all life stages of the butterfly, providing places to lay eggs, food plants for the caterpillars and the adults, and spots to form chrysalides.

Butterfly gardens can be any size, from a small window box to a large border in your landscape. They can be as simple as you’d like, from a mono-planting of coneflowers to a constantly blooming bed of host plants and nectar-rich perennials. And once you’ve created your pollinator garden, it can be certified with the National Wildlife Federation, making your yard part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.

The MPGC is a nationwide call to action to preserve and create gardens and landscapes that help ensure the health of bees, butterflies and other pollinators across America. Non-profits like Wild Ones and America in Bloom are partnering with local garden clubs to get folks outdoors, educating them on the connection between healthy landscapes and the food that we eat. You can get more information by visiting their website www.millionpollinatorgardens.com

So let’s start by defining a host plant. These plants, usually native to an area, are those that the adult butterflies lay eggs on and they are often butterfly-specific. Having host plants in your garden ensures that the butterflies will linger for longer periods of time. The caterpillars will stay as well. Remember that once those eggs hatch, the caterpillars will be munching. Don’t be too worried about it though. Healthy plants will not be damaged. A few of the most common host perennials for Dane County gardens are Butterfly Weed for Monarchs, Asters to attract Pearl Crescents and Hollyhock to feed Painted Ladies. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention the annual Bronze Fennel, an absolute magnet for Tiger Swallowtails.

Next, be sure to supply plenty of nectar-rich, flowering plants to provide food for the adults. Butterflies are attracted to flowers by color, so plant masses of single colors, rather than complicated mixes. And, try to provide a continuous bloom through the growing season. Butterflies are in our area from mid-spring to late fall, but are most active from early summer to early autumn. There are many choices, but a few of our favorites are Garden Phlox, Butterflybush, Asters and Coneflowers in shades of pink and purple.

Finally, try to use some critical thinking when it comes to insecticides. Most are not insect specific and will kill a broad spectrum of insects, including useful ones like bees, butterflies and ladybugs. So don’t apply insecticides in or near your butterfly attracting plants.

You’ll also want to provide some shallow watering spots and a few sheltered, shady areas. These provide moisture and protection from weather and predators. If you find yourself wanting to attract some of the less common butterflies, check out www.wisconsinbutterflies.org to see some other possibilities.

Skip to content