Planting a Butterfly Garden in Minnesota
Why Plant a Butterfly Garden?
Increasing urban sprawl has been causing butterfly populations to decrease for years. Open fields and meadows (homes to butterflies) are being turned into town homes and strip malls at a high rate. Planting a butterfly garden is a small step in recreating an environment for these fragile insects.
Elements of a Butterfly Garden
A sunny location is a must.
Must provide food for caterpillars.
Must provide nectar for adults.
Needs to provide flowers from spring through fall.
Should be sheltered from the wind.
Rocks or evergreen plants should be included in the design since they absorb heat. Butterflies cannot fly if their body temperature is too low.
Pesticides cannot be used.
Several Painted Lady butterflies feeding on the nectar of Sedum flowers in fall.
Maintaining a Butterfly Garden
Proper care of a butterfly garden is just as important as choosing appropriate plants to attract butterflies. Perennials should not be cut down in fall since hibernating adults or egg masses may be removed. Weeding can be done but many weed species will attract butterflies. Weeds can provide food for many species. No pesticides should ever be used on a butterfly garden. This also includes drift from applying pesticides to nearby trees, shrubs or lawns.
Additional Ideas From The BIG Oak
Butterflies are also attracted to areas of water, especially small puddles and areas that flood after rain. Using bird baths can serve this purpose. Not all butterflies feed on nectar. Putting out rotting fruit can help attract these ones. Also, butterfly feeders (with sugar water) can be put out to help attract butterflies. Butterflies also need places to hibernate. These places include rocks, log piles, tree trunks and other crevasses.
Plants for NECTAR
Trees
Aesculus (buckeye), Prunus (plum, cherry), Syringa (lilac)
Shrubs
Buddleia (butterfly bush), Ceonothus (New Jersey tea), Clethra (summer sweet), Ligustrum (privet), Syringa (lilac)
Perennials
Achillea (yarrow), Allium (chives), Asclepsias (butterfly weed), Asclepsias (milkweed), Aster (Aster), Chrysanthemum (daisy), Coreopsis (Tickseed), Echinacea (coneflower), Eupatorium maculatum (Joe-pye weed), Gaillardia (blanket flower), Helenium (sneezeweed), Hemerocallis (daylily), Lavandula (lavender), Liartis (blazing star), Lillium (lily), Mentha (mint), Monarda (bee balm), Nepeta (catmint), Phlox (phlox), Physostegia (obedient plant), Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), Veronica (veronica), Vernonia (ironweed)
Garden bed with Russian sage, butterfly weed and Black-eyed Susan.
Favorite Food for Larvae
Trees
Betula (birch), Celtis (hackberry), Populus (poplar species), Quercus (oak), Robinia (locust), Salix (willow
Shrubs
Cornus (dogwood), Spiraea (spirea)
Perennials
Aster (aster), Amorpha (false indigo), Astragalus (milk vetch), Asclepsias (milkweed), Chelone (turtlehead), Cirsium (thistle), Lupinus (lupine), Malva (mallow), Poa (grass species), Polygonum (knotweed), Sedum (stonecrop), Vicia (vetch), Viola (violet)
Butterflies to Attract
Swallowtails
Whites
Sulphurs
Coppers & Metalmarks
Satyrs
Skippers
Milkweed butterflies
Blues
Longwings
Hairstreaks
Anglewings & Tortoisseshells
Painted Laidies, Red Admiral, Buckeye
Cresents & Checkerspots
Admirals
Fritillaries
