Once Spring and Summer roll around many people are focused on getting their gardens back to life. Soon many critters and birds will be inhabiting the garden and the garden will be a busy ecosystem. One of the most common insects gardeners like to attract to their gardens are butterflies. Butterflies are not just fun to watch fly, they are also very useful for pollinating flowers. There are a number of different ways to attract butterflies to your garden and below is a simple list on how to do so.
Native Flowering Plants – Local butterflies rely on native flowering plants for food and nectar. It is recommended you plant flowers that are native to your area, these plants will provide the butterflies throughout their lives as both caterpillars and adults. Butterflies are attracted to many different, bright colors as well, so when picking out flowers remember these colors; red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple.
Butterfly Houses – These are great ways to get butterflies to continue coming back to your garden. Often butterfly houses are fitted with glass side panels to make viewing the incredible insects easy. Nectar can be placed inside the butterfly house which will immediately begin attracting butterflies to the structure. Remember to place near the sun so the butterflies can land, spread their wings, and bask in the sun.
Butterfly Feeders – These are very much like butterfly houses, however, they are often open to the elements. These means easier access for the butterflies, but may mean you will need to replace the nectar more often. These feeders replicate blooming flowers and are brightly colored just like a flower.
Attracting butterflies into your garden can be a great way to add some life to your backyard. By adding a few of the items mentioned above you can have beautiful butterflies occupying your garden in now time. Butterflies are beautiful creatures that everyone loves to see in a natural environment.