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2012 HOME & GARDEN MAGAZINE. LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com May 25, 2012
22
TAKING FLIGHT:
How to attract more butterflies
to your yard
University of Illinois Extension, Illinois Department of
Natural Resources & LDN
Imagine your garden alive with color and life. Think
of seeing a bright yellow swallowtail dancing over the
blossoms or watching the transition of caterpillar to
cocoon to butterfly. Whether you create a haven for
butterflies and moths or just add a few flowers attractive
to butterflies, you will add an enchanting new dimension
to your yard.
Land development and the widespread use of
insecticides and herbicides have endangered many
butterflies as their habitats have been degraded or
destroyed. Butterflies and moths are significant
pollinators, important in the food chain, and are major
indicators of environmental quality. A refuge for
butterflies improves our world environmentally
and aesthetically.
For the maximum number and
variety of butterflies you should plant a
“butterfly garden.” If you don’t have
the space or inclination to dedicate
an entire garden to butterflies, you
can make your garden and yard
butterfly-friendly by applying
the same principles and adding
some plants throughout your yard.
When planning butterfly gardens, remember the life
cycle of the insects. It is not enough to only have nectar
plants for the adults. The garden must also have food
for hungry caterpillars. High-quality gardens provide a
variety of food sources for both
caterpillars
and adults.
Caterpillar food plants are often common
“weeds,” so host plants aren’t mandatory,
especially if you live in a rural area, but if your
garden contains at least a few caterpillar plants, the
diversity and number of butterflies will increase.
Adults lay eggs on plants that their offspring will
eat. Many times these host plants are different
from the nectar plants adults require. Caterpillars
eat like a group of teenage boys, consuming
anything in their path, so expect caterpillars to
consume
entire leaves of their host plant.
Don’t worry about the
plant; enjoy watching
the caterpillar’s single-
minded
devotion
to
eating. (Remember, one of
the cardinal rules of butterfly
gardening is no pesticides.)
Eventually the very plump
caterpillar spins a cocoon or chrysalis
for its amazing transformation into an adult
butterfly or moth. If you are lucky and observe
carefully, you will be able to watch the new adult
struggle out of its cocoon, expand and dry its
wings, then take its first flight.
Flying requires tremendous amounts of
energy that the butterfly gets from flower nectar.
Butterflies prefer a varied diet and visit a number
of different flowers.
So what should you plant? Generally if you
keep in mind a few general principles on flower
shape, color and fragrance, butterflies will come
to your yard.
Because butterflies have a mouth similar to a
drinking straw, they prefer easy access to nectar.
They do not hover, so they also need a landing
area on a plant with sturdy stems. A flat, circular
center, with or without interior petals, is a perfect
landing platform and dining area. Members of