How to Build a Butterfly Garden

Building a butterfly garden can be fun and rewarding.  You can create a whole new garden or simply add flowers to your current garden that attract the butterflies in your area.  Follow the steps below to learn how you can build your own butterfly garden!

Design Your Garden.  Try to choose an open and sunny area because butterflies are more active in the sun, and a lot of sunlight is best for many flowering plants.  Being able to reach the plants is also important so you may want to plant narrow sections that can be reached from different sides or create walkways in your garden from which you can work.

Other additions can be aesthetically pleasing and can make better homes for your butterflies.  Protection from the wind can be provided by a bush, fence, or rocks.  Butterflies can also drink from water pooled on rocks and use the surface to sit in the sun for heat.  Providing some kind of source for water is important.  A bird bath or fountain can work for the butterflies as well as other creatures that visit your garden.

The shape and size of the garden is up to you.  Be creative and choose something you will enjoy watching!

Creating the Beds.  Building a raised bed for your butterfly garden has many advantages.  The garden is simply a raised bed of soil, which is easy to build and maintain.  You can also be creative in framing your garden with rocks, bricks, wood, or any other material you have.  Get the whole family involved in searching for the perfect border pieces!  A raised bed will require extra soil and this makes a great home in which your plants will thrive.  The soil heats up easily, has good drainage, and is easy to maintain and keep weeds out.

Prepare Your Soil.  Good soil preparation is worth the effort and will result in a better garden.  Make sure there are no clumps in the soil, and if you are using your own soil, remove all other plant material such as weeds that could grow in your new garden.  When using raised beds, place 3-6 inches of compost / sand mix over the existing soil, which will prevent disturbing the soil's ecology (balance of beneficial bacteria and fungus along with other important microbes).  After completing the raised bed, place 2-3 inches of bark mulch over the surface to ensure sufficient retention of moisture.  The mulch also prevents severe temperature fluctuations in the soil. 

Do not forget that your butterflies need a water source.  In addition to a birdbath, you should create small spaces of regular soil to create a muddy mix.  This "mud" will provide moisture along with essential micro-nutrients for the butterflies not found in their normal food sources.

Research.  Find out which butterflies are native to where you live.  The plants you choose to attract the butterflies will depend on which species live near you. 

At Groundwork Bridgeport, we raise the Painted Lady Butterfly, which is indigenous to the entire continental U.S.  The butterfly has a wingspan of 1.75” to 2.75” and a life span of approximately 2-3 weeks.  The wings are very colorful with white, orange, brown, and black on top and tan, blue and purple on the underside.

Choose Your Plants.  For the best butterfly garden, you should do some research and planning before you plant your garden.  Taking the time to choose the right plants will give you the opportunity to attract the most butterflies and to have an attractive garden throughout the seasons.

Different types of plants are needed to feed and attract butterflies at different stages in the life-cycle.  A butterfly begins life as an egg and hatches into a caterpillar.  The caterpillars usually feed on different plants than the adult butterflies.  You will need to research to what plants the caterpillars in your area are attracted.  The caterpillars form a pupa casing and emerge as adult butterflies, which feed on the nectar of flowering plants.  Choosing a variety and abundance of flowering plants that bloom at different times of the day and during different seasons will attract the most butterflies.

Once you have learned what the butterflies living near you like, you can choose a mixture of perennials and annuals.  Perennials are plants that return each year while annuals only last one season and must be replanted each year.  After you have chosen the plants that will feed your butterflies, you can add other plants to your garden that you particularly like and look nice in your own yard.

WARNING.  If you do not choose native plants, BE SURE YOU ARE NOT PLANTING AN INVASIVE SPECIES.  An invasive species is a plant that adversely affects the habitat which it invades.  The plants can spread well beyond the borders of your garden and could potentially harm native ecosystems.  Planting flowers and perennials native to your area is always a good idea.  These are plants known to grow and thrive in your area and may take less care. 

Purchasing Your Plants.  Locate local nurseries and call ahead to ask if they have the particular plants you are looking to purchase.  You could also take a list of plants to the nursery and choose what you like best.  The staff at the nursery may be a good source of knowledge to find out what flowers grow well in your area and attract butterflies.  Some nurseries only grow annuals while others may only grow perennials.  Depending on the time of year, you can also try purchasing seeds and growing the plants yourself.  Some seeds may grow when planted in your new garden beds, and other may need to be started in pots and transplanted.

Planting Your Garden.  When planting your garden, the larger and taller plants should go at the back.  Arranging your plants by height and size will assure that all the plants get proper sunlight and will give you better visibility to see all the flowers you have chosen.  Planting the flowers in groups or clumps will help attract more butterflies so they can easily spot the plants they eat.

Garden Maintenance.  Be sure to water your new plants and give them a chance to become well established in your garden.  Keeping weeds out of your garden will prevent it from becoming overgrown and will also make sure your plants have all of the sunlight, soil, and water for their own growth.  You may want to put down mulch periodically to keep weeds from growing.  If you have planted perennials, you will need to prune away the dead pieces each season.

Raising Butterflies.  Raising your own butterflies is fairly easy.  You may be able to find a location near you to purchase butterfly larvae.  Some gardening centers or catalogs may sell school kits that have all of the necessary food and netting for the butterflies live grow.

Groundwork Bridgeport uses an online source for the butterflies used in our Butterflies Are Teachers program.  Visit Butterflies & Blueberries, Inc. to find out if their butterflies could work for you.