The flower is a source of natural beauty and sustenance to bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. For this reason, many an avid gardener will create a butterfly and hummingbird habitat in their backyard flower garden. Butterflies don’t ask for much, just large, open sunny areas, a few flowers for adults, a few food sources for caterpillars and shelter to hide from predators so they can lay their eggs. Butterflies love to eat herbs, some flowering plants and weeds like dandelions, nettle and milkweed.

The flower of the butterfly bush is most attractive to diverse types of butterflies from swallowtails to skippers. Consider the black-eyed Susan, milkweed and purple coneflower as other flower garden favorites that are bound to bring hordes of blues, coppers, skippers, hairstreaks, sulphurs, whites, brushfoots and swallowtails. In addition, the chrysanthemum, marigold, lilac, goldenrod, lavender and salvia are the flowers that the Audubon Society recommends for creating an easy butterfly garden. Aside from having treat plants, you’ll need host plants where females can lay their eggs and for caterpillars to munch on. You’ll probably want to situate these plants away from the main garden, tucked away. Most caterpillars only need one or two host plants, so you probably won’t even notice the damage. Monarchs feed exclusively on milkweed, while painted ladies prefer thistles. Give your fritillaries violets, your red admiral butterflies nettles, the zebra swallowtails the pawpaws plant, give giant swallowtails citrus plants and give black swallowtails an assortment of carrots, parsley, dill and sweet fennel. Foxgloves, sunflowers, birches, willows, wild plum, spicebush and passion vines also attract butterfly breeding.

Once the flowers for your plant habitat are in place, take other environmental factors into consideration. Your precious butterflies want a floral wonderland, but also a place that is safe from wind, rain and predators, so try adding hedges and small, dense shrubs like honeysuckle or butterfly bushes; trellises or fences covered in passion vines or hops. Generous brush piles of bark, logs, rocks and leaves allow for hiding during winter months or stormy days. Even “organic” pesticides agitate the sensitive butterfly, so keep your guests protected from any chemical sprays or dust. Be sure your butterfly habitat has at least six hours of full sunshine, with flat rocks where they can bask in the sun to warm up before taking their early morning flights. Just like humans, bachelor butterflies also want a place to drink after work: mud puddles, shallow pans of damp sand and gravel or wet dirt all make ideal gathering spots. Rotting fruit, watermelon rinds and seeds are delicious nutrients that create a true butterfly nirvana.

After the flower planting and habitat planning is finished, you’ll surely enjoy your floral bouquets with butterflies perched, feeding and exploring. To get the most from your flower garden, look for warm midday swarms between 10 am and 2 pm during the summer months. Hopefully, you’ve planted the taller flowers toward the back so you can watch all the butterflies feeding.