Butterfly and Insect Gardening
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Butterfly and Insect Gardening
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| Butterfly gardens are easy to establish. After all, in a richly planted
garden, there are always some butterflies who can find what they need. Almost
all flowers are designed by nature to attract insects, such as butterflies,
bees, bumble bees, certain beetles, flies, etc. Some flowers are even pollinated
by birds or bats!
The photo on the right is taken by Abbie Gindele in her wildflower garden in South Berwick, ME. The Monarch Butterfly is sipping some nectar from Butterfly-Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). Note the little flying insect next to him. What a great photo! |
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Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' Photo: A. Gindele |
Purpose of Flowers: To attract visitors (not the human ones), the flowers purposely display themselves in beautiful shapes and colors and often release some good perfume as well. And to become truly irresistable - these flowers even give out free rewards to visitors: some fine, sweet nectar, that the bees and butterflies will never forget, and Hummingbirds neither. Nectar is a fine, healthy drink made of water, sugar, and fine flavorings. Bees have the habit of making honey out of it. Butterflies are less ambitious and just suck it up right away. But why do plants go into all that trouble? Visiting insects insure pollination of the flowers, because the visitors carry pollen from one plant to another. As they enter the next flower, the pollen is brushed off on the stamens, fertilizing the egg-cell. The resulting new combination of genes is the start for a new, individual and unique living being. What a great wonder! Nature took millions of years to fine tune this relationship between plants and insects. Without insects, flowers would not be colorful and fragrant. Have you ever looked at the flowers of pines trees or spruce? Their pollen are spread by the wind, and except for some yellowish dust, there is not much to admire. A few hints to get the most butterflies in and out of the garden: - Provide good nectar plants for the adult butterflies - Provide food plants for caterpillars (your garden can help generate fresh, young butterflies for the whole neighborhood) - Provide wonderful things like wet mud, rotting fruit and decomposing dung right in your back yard! Many butterflies rely on it for food and minerals, and some birds will like it too (perhaps leave the dung away unless you own goats or horses). - Provide water from a shallow, wide bowl that is cleaned daily, or a pond that is biologically active (for self-cleaning) and that has rocks or logs for easy landing. - Provide some brush or wood piles, rock piles, fallen leaves, etc. in your garden, since many butterflies need them to hide out in the winter. - Provide a space on your land that is not kept all organized and clean. Leave some areas wild and let wildflowers and weeds get established, many are food plants for caterpillars. Turn some of your lawn into a meadow by mowing it only once a year. I purposely started every sentence with "provide". We are now in a position where we have to provide to nature to give back to her. |
Nectar plants throughout the season:
| Early spring | shrubs | Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Japanese Andromeda (Pieris), Bottelbrush Shrub (Fothergilla) | Beautiful evergreen and deciduous spring-flowering shrubs |
| perennials | if found Alpine Rock Cress (Arabis alpina)and Basket-of-Gold very attractive to insects, including early butterflies | these have a honey fragrance | |
| low shrub | Winter Heather (Erica carnea) is one of the earliest to bloom and bees love it | blooms march to may, protect from wind, use plenty of peat moss and sand | |
| summer | shrubs | Butterfly Bush, we carry varieties in white, pink, light purple, bluish-purple, reddish-purple to dark purple, and yellow | these bloom summer to fall, very beautiful, fragrant and attractive to butterflies |
| garden perennials | certainly very good: Gayfeather (Liatris), Lavender (Lavendula), all Sages (Salvia), Globe thistle (Echinops), all Stonecrops (Sedum), Red Valerian (Centranthus), Oregano (Origanum), Phlox and Bee Balm (Monarda). According to literature also Cone flowers (Echinacea), Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Coreopsis. | with all these choices, it is easy to design a beautiful flowering perennial butterfly garden | |
| garden-worthy wildflowers | Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa, orange flowers), Swamp-Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, dusty pink), also food plants for Monarch caterpillars | one likes lean, dry soil, the other rich and wet | |
| annuals | Lantana, Pentas, Verbena, Heliotrope | they all are great to enrich any summer garden, or planted in containers | |
| late summer and fall | garden-worthy wildflowers | Asters, Joe-Pye weed (try Eupatorium maculatum "Gateway", an eight-foot perennial), Boneset (Eupatorium rugosum "Chocolate" is beautiful), the stately, bluish-purple Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) | not for the timid gardener |
| Plants that don't seem to do much for butterflies: | Peonies, Roses, Iris, Daylilies, | ||
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This wildflower planting in South Berwick has the purpose of providing wildlife habitat and diminishing lawn surface at the same time. The photo has been taken by the owner, Abbie Gindele, in the first season after planting. Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' has been used as a groundcover since it is known to spread very fast. It also grows in lean, dry soil, which is what this new construction site had to offer. Other plants used on this site are Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm', Echinacea purpurea, Liatris spicata, Asclepias tuberosa in dry areas, Asclepias incarnata on low, moist places, and a few more. It will be worked on and refined and we will keep reporting about successes and problems as we go. |
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Liatris spicata Photo: A. Gindele |
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' Photo: A. Gindele |
Food plants for caterpillars:
Here is a quick list I compiled that should cover New England species. It certainly needs to be extended. Plants that we usually carry in our nursery are highlighted in bold print.
| Red Admiral | hops (Humulus), nettles (Urtica), false nettles (Lamium), pellitory (Parietaria) | hops is a beautiful climber for large trellices, the flowers smell sweet and can be dried for soothing teas |
| Buckeye | snapdragon (Antirrhinum), stonecrop (Sedum), plantains (Plantago) | stonecrops are also excellent nectar plants |
| Question Mark | elm (Ulmus), nettle (Urtica), hackberry (Celtis), hops | |
| Mourning Cloack | willow (Salix), elm (Ulmus), poplar (Populus) | willow, poplar and elm often grow on roadsides and in disturbed areas |
| Red-spotted Purple, White Admiral | aspen and poplar (both Populus), willow, hawthorn (Crataegus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), wild cherry (Prunus serotina) | hawthorns also attract birds |
| Viceroy | willow, poplar | |
| Baltimore | turtlehead (Chelone), honeysuckle (Lonicera), plantain (Plantago) | we only carry non-invasive species |
| Pearl Crescent | asters (Aster) | we recommend Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' for massing and naturalizing |
| American Painted Lady | everlastings (Anaphalis and Gnaphalium), pussytoes (Antennaria), forget-me-not, | these are common weeds and wildflowers |
| Painted Lady | thistle, burdock, sunflower (Helianthus), hollyhock (Alcea), borage (Borago) | try perennial sunflower (Helianthus "Lemon Queen" combined with Ironweed (Vernonia) |
| Brown Elfin | low-bush blueberry, sheep laurel, bearberry (Arctostaphylos) | these are common in light woodlands, clearings, and under power lines; bearberry is a beautiful groundcover |
| Silvery Blue | peas, vetch, lupine | all of the pea family |
| Eastern Tailed Blue | Clovers, vetches, alfalfa, lupine, peas | |
| Spring Azure | dogwood, viburnum, spirea, wild cherry, milkweed | common garden shrubs |
| Spicebush Swallowtail | spicebush (Lindera), sassafras, sweet bay (True Laurel, Laurus nobilis) | spicebush is a native worthy of planting in large gardens and at woodland edges |
| Eastern Black Swallowtail | parsley, dill, fennel, carrot and wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) | bronze fennel looks great in ornamental and herb gardens |
| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | aspen (Populus), black cherry (Prunus serotina), birch, poplar, tulip tree (Liriodendron) | aspen or poplar is its favorite food in the north |
| Green Swallowtail | dutchman's pipe (Aristolochia) | dutchman's pipe is a climber with big, heart-shaped leaves |
| Monarch | milkweeds (Asclepias) | two milkweed species are beautiful garden perennials |
| Grapeleaf Skeletonizer | grapevine (Vitis) | |
| Luna Moth | hickory, walnut, sweet gum (Liquidambar), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), birch | try Diospyros virginiana "Meader" for our area, bred at UNH. (special order) |
| Polyphemus Moth | alder, bass, birch, elm, maple, poplar | |
| Clouded Sulphur, Alphalpha Sulphur | alfalfa, clovers, vetches | |
| American Copper | sorrels and docks (both Rumex), | common weeds |
| Banded Hairstreak | oaks (Quercus), hickories (Carya) , butternut (Juglans) | |
| Fritillary | violets (Viola) | some are beautiful groundcovers |
| Common Wood Nymph, Ringlet, Little wood Satyr | grasses | although we carry many garden grasses, it is best not to mow a corner of your lawn to leave it for the Satyrs |
| Northern Eyed Brown | Sedges (Carex) | common swamp grasses; many species exist, some are garden plants |
| Fiery Skipper, European Skipper | grasses | |
| Silver-spotted skipper | black locust (Robinia), wisteria, other woodies of the pea-family |
Since this is a whole jungle of plant information, here a practical suggestion on how to design your butterfly garden:
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Tiger-Swallowtail on Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight', Photo: A. Gindele
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Plant a birch tree (native Betula papyrifera is best) for
height, shade, and to feed a few caterpillars. Add two or three Butterfly
bushes, according to your color choices. Also consider the whites, such as
"White Bouquet", to complement the white birch bark. Butterflies love the
whites, too. Plant large groups or drifts of Lavender, Sage, Sedum, Echinacea and Gayfeather. Add smaller groups of Globe Thistle, Monarda, Butterfly weed and Swamp Milkweed, Lupine and Aster. In the foreground, emphasize on the annuals: Lupine, Lantana, Verbena, Heliotrope and Bronze Fennel. The latter is just for it's textural effect, but also a great food plant for the Black Swallowtail. To enter this garden, you could install an arbor, and plant Hops or Honeysuckle to climb over it. Prune these hard every winter. Don't forget the shallow bowl of clean water. It could be in the style of a birdbath, and if you prefer a formal setting, it could be placed in the center of the garden, with walkways crossing there. If possible, keep the walkways simple, using gravel or even soil on the surface. A stone edging will help to define the walkway and to separate it from the beds. A landscape fabric under the narrow path is permissible to control weeds. |
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If you have plenty of space, definitely use some of these giant perennials that butterflies love so much: Joe-Pye weed (dusty or rosy pink) and Ironweed (bright purplish-blue). And how about the clear yellow perennial sunflower 'Lemon Queen' for contrast?
If you also want to attract Hummingbirds, plant beds of red-flowered annual sages, and hang up some baskets with fuchsias, red petunias, and lobelia as well. If space permits, a Trumpetvine (Campsis radicans) would be a beautiful addition. To avoid a tragedy, keep your cat away from all this! |
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Take a look at butterflies photographed in our nursery.
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