A Beginner's Guide to a Beautiful Butterfly Garden
Here is an all-you-need-to-know guide for creating the butterfly garden of your dreams
Ketaki Godbole Randiwe
23 December 2020
When did you last see a butterfly flit past your window? These lovely creatures have become a rare sight for us city dwellers – more of a memory from childhood or a visit to the countryside. You’ll still see butterflies in the city in areas with favourable conditions – suitable tree cover, food plants and flowers. Your garden can become just such a haven for butterflies; it just needs the right approach and a bit of effort. Want to give it a shot? Here are the basics.
Butterflies are beautiful, delicate creatures that feed on the nectar produced by flowers. Every butterfly goes through four stages of life: those of an egg, a caterpillar, a pupa and a butterfly. These require two categories of plants:
1. Host plants, where the eggs are laid, and which serve as food for the caterpillars once the eggs hatch, and for the pupae to attach.
2. Nectar plants, which provide food for the butterfly after it emerges from the cocoon at the end of the pupa stage.
In this article, we will concentrate on creating a garden based on the second category – nectar plants. These are the features your butterfly garden should have:
1. Host plants, where the eggs are laid, and which serve as food for the caterpillars once the eggs hatch, and for the pupae to attach.
2. Nectar plants, which provide food for the butterfly after it emerges from the cocoon at the end of the pupa stage.
In this article, we will concentrate on creating a garden based on the second category – nectar plants. These are the features your butterfly garden should have:
A colourful palette
Nature has designed flowers in ways that are attractive to butterflies and other insects. Certain features, like colours, shape and size, attract butterflies to certain flowers. For example, bright colours like red, pink and yellow are all very inviting for butterflies. Once you plant these colours in your garden, they will signal the butterflies naturally that there is food here.
Nature has designed flowers in ways that are attractive to butterflies and other insects. Certain features, like colours, shape and size, attract butterflies to certain flowers. For example, bright colours like red, pink and yellow are all very inviting for butterflies. Once you plant these colours in your garden, they will signal the butterflies naturally that there is food here.
Pete Veilleux, East Bay Wilds
Mixed flowers of different shapes and sizes:
An important factor for attracting butterflies is having a range of flowers with different shapes and sizes to cater to a wide variety of butterflies. Smaller flowers cannot bear the weight of larger butterflies and tubular flowers are accessible only to butterflies with a long proboscis. Each species chooses a flower that is easier to land on and feed from. More varieties of flowers will attract more species of butterflies.
An important factor for attracting butterflies is having a range of flowers with different shapes and sizes to cater to a wide variety of butterflies. Smaller flowers cannot bear the weight of larger butterflies and tubular flowers are accessible only to butterflies with a long proboscis. Each species chooses a flower that is easier to land on and feed from. More varieties of flowers will attract more species of butterflies.
All-year food availability
Make sure to select plants with overlapping flowering schedules so that when one stops flowering, another one starts. This way, there is always food for the butterflies. A great bonus is that when we plant for butterflies, we plant for so much more, including birds and pollinating insects.
Find a landscape designer to plan your garden
Make sure to select plants with overlapping flowering schedules so that when one stops flowering, another one starts. This way, there is always food for the butterflies. A great bonus is that when we plant for butterflies, we plant for so much more, including birds and pollinating insects.
Find a landscape designer to plan your garden
Privacy and shelter
Butterflies are shy creatures. Design your garden spaces such that your seating areas are not too near the shrubbery. The relative isolation creates a safe zone and provides shelter for the butterflies (and birds) that are visiting the garden. This way you can enjoy watching them from a distance and not frighten them away.
Butterflies are shy creatures. Design your garden spaces such that your seating areas are not too near the shrubbery. The relative isolation creates a safe zone and provides shelter for the butterflies (and birds) that are visiting the garden. This way you can enjoy watching them from a distance and not frighten them away.
Sunny patches
As butterflies are cold-blooded, they need sunlight to start their day. It’s like their morning cup of tea! Most of them become active after basking in the sunlight in the mornings. Plan your garden layout keeping in mind the sunny areas. Plant the surrounding areas with low-growing plants to avoid casting shadows on the sunny patch.
As butterflies are cold-blooded, they need sunlight to start their day. It’s like their morning cup of tea! Most of them become active after basking in the sunlight in the mornings. Plan your garden layout keeping in mind the sunny areas. Plant the surrounding areas with low-growing plants to avoid casting shadows on the sunny patch.
Wet patches
Another important part of their habitat is a wet patch: a spot with water to drink from. You can do this in several easy ways. A simple dish filled with water, a bird bath, a hanging pot with water hidden among the flowers, a depression carved in a rock or wood – they all work equally well.
Browse more photos of butterfly gardens
Another important part of their habitat is a wet patch: a spot with water to drink from. You can do this in several easy ways. A simple dish filled with water, a bird bath, a hanging pot with water hidden among the flowers, a depression carved in a rock or wood – they all work equally well.
Browse more photos of butterfly gardens
Tip: Make sure to add small rocks or a bit of sand on the edges as perches. Perches are where the butterflies can sit and drink to their heart’s content without landing in the water. Also, if you keep this wet patch surrounded by plants or hidden at the ground level, it will reduce evaporation rates and the water remains there for a longer periods.
An added benefit of having these wet patches is that they provide water not only to butterflies but to all creatures, like birds, insects, dogs and cats. It is an act of kindness which takes very little effort – also it brings us the joy of witnessing beautiful moments of life in nature.
Shady patches
Having a patch of shade is as important as a sunny spot, to provide respite from the sun. Also, it widens your plant varieties by allowing you to include foliage-based plants. Foliage plants such as grasses and philodendrons provide a sheltered space where the butterflies get some privacy. A good balance of flowering and foliage plants will make your garden complete by complementing each other. Many foliage plants also bear beautiful smaller flowers that look gorgeous and add to the beauty of a garden.
Having a patch of shade is as important as a sunny spot, to provide respite from the sun. Also, it widens your plant varieties by allowing you to include foliage-based plants. Foliage plants such as grasses and philodendrons provide a sheltered space where the butterflies get some privacy. A good balance of flowering and foliage plants will make your garden complete by complementing each other. Many foliage plants also bear beautiful smaller flowers that look gorgeous and add to the beauty of a garden.
What not to do
The biggest no-no for a butterfly garden is the use of chemical insecticides and pesticides because they harm the butterflies. Always use organic fertilisers – there are plenty readily available in the market –and for additional effect, plant a clump of lemon grass to ward away mosquitoes from the garden. Additionally, this means that plants like the rose (for example, Rosa chinensis) are banned from the garden because they require constant use of pesticides to protect them from bugs.
The biggest no-no for a butterfly garden is the use of chemical insecticides and pesticides because they harm the butterflies. Always use organic fertilisers – there are plenty readily available in the market –and for additional effect, plant a clump of lemon grass to ward away mosquitoes from the garden. Additionally, this means that plants like the rose (for example, Rosa chinensis) are banned from the garden because they require constant use of pesticides to protect them from bugs.
Overall planting scheme
So, which plants can we use? For foliage plants, use grasses like Chlorophytum (Chlorophytum comosum), fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum), mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) and dianella grass (Dianella tasmanica). Add big-leaved plants like philodendrons (Philodendron xanadu, Monstera deliciosa) and cannas (Canna indica) for some boldness. As for the flowering plants, here is a list that you can use.
So, which plants can we use? For foliage plants, use grasses like Chlorophytum (Chlorophytum comosum), fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum), mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) and dianella grass (Dianella tasmanica). Add big-leaved plants like philodendrons (Philodendron xanadu, Monstera deliciosa) and cannas (Canna indica) for some boldness. As for the flowering plants, here is a list that you can use.
Blue snakeweed (Stachytarpheta indica) and red snakeweed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis) attract local species of butterflies.
Verbena (Verbena x hybrida) is a low-growing plant, and falls under the ground-cover category. It does not grow to a height of more than 30 centimetres. It spreads horizontally and flowers perennially, making it an excellent choice.
Lantana (Lantana camara ) is one of the most popular plants known for attracting butterflies. It, too, provides low ground cover and looks beautiful with splashes of yellow-and-pink flowers in between deep green foliage. Lantana is also perennially flowering.
Star cluster plant (Pentas lanceolata) is available in pink, red and white colours. Plant them in groups of five to six and they will add a splash of colour to the garden. Perennially flowering means that there will always be nectar in stock.
Indian blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella) is an annual plant which grows upto a height of 60 centimetres. It comes in a variety of shades of red and yellow.
Dahlias are a popular choice for many gardeners and are available in both annual and perennial varieties. These are big flowers and a good choice to attract the larger species of butterflies.
Chinese ixora (Ixora chinensis) comes in a wide range of colours, ranging from bright yellow to mixed shades of red and orange. It is a small shrub with perennial flowers and also has a larger cousin, the jungle geranium (Ixora coccinea).
Read more:
7 Steps to a Kitchen Garden in a Small Apartment
7 Expert Tips for a Lush, Green Terrace Garden
Tell us:
Share your tips for a butterfly garden in Comments below.
Read more:
7 Steps to a Kitchen Garden in a Small Apartment
7 Expert Tips for a Lush, Green Terrace Garden
Tell us:
Share your tips for a butterfly garden in Comments below.
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Hello , we have a 10000m² butterfly garden in Germany .
It looks like a flowermeadow and is planted with lots of wildflowers that bloom all over the year .We have the same problems with a sharp decline of insekts and especially butterflies in mid Europe too .
One reason ist the use of insectkillers based on NEONICOTINOIDS .
Another ist the mow down of every flower in the landscape , to get a tidy surrunding.
If you want to have more insekts in your garden , you should prefer planting wildflowers , best nativ wildflowers that bloom in early spring or late summer / harvest .
And , most important , you should plant the feedigplants for the catarpillars .
Zitronenfalter on Telekia
Tagpfauenauge on Echinacea
Admiral on Eupatorium
Kaisermantel on Agastache
Feuerfalter on Helenium
Pictures from Ommertalhof , Germany .
Hello Ommertalhof Schroeder.. so good to hear from you in Germany! Yes it is indeed best when you plant the native wildflowers since they attract many species of butterflies. Encouraging more city folk to plant wild or native/naturalized flowers is our best hope to try and bring butterflies into urban habitats throughout the world. Cheers!
if you are in India, read up a little about host plants of common butterflies in your area. Some common host plants are curry leaf tree, citrus plants such as lemon tree, mango tree etc would attract plants. So does some wild plants such as aristolochia (Garudakkodi or Eeswaramooli). Also allow a small "wild" patch where native plants and grass and weeds are allowed to grow untouched