Live Butterflies Before Your Eyes

Once the eggs hatch, you will need to provide the progeny with what is termed "larval food". Basically, this means you should plant caterpillar bait on purpose. Butterfly weed and parsley are often suggested for satisfying this need, but again the most desirable foods will depend on the butterflies present in your garden and region. There are long lists of potential larval food plants to include in your garden, so grow a nice variety of these, too.

Whichever caterpillar-satisfying plants you use, be prepared to tolerate the caterpillars' feeding damage. They are voracious and can denude a plant seemingly overnight. This is when you really need to exercise restraint and allow them to feed.

Most plants will survive, those that don't can be considered a donation to the cause. If a visitor makes a comment about your ratty looking plants, just tell them you are saving the environment one caterpillar bite at a time!

DOH! No Bug Killer Allowed

Cottage gardeners in particular welcome the butterflies with that little bit of untidiness we are allowed in the cottage garden. In other words, we allow the butterflies to dance and the caterpillars to nibble. We follow the basic rule: whenever possible, avoid insecticides that would hurt the butterflies and their larvae.

The corollary to this minimal chemical use policy is there are plenty of birds in the garden, too. Hungry birds, ready to gobble up those little butterfly caterpillars along with all the pesky insects!

Watering Hole

Other steps to creating your own butterfly haven include providing a constant source of moisture. This can be a pan of sand or gravel kept wet, a mud puddle, damp sponges set in the birdbath or any other tiny bit of water where they can partake without danger of drowning.

Sunshine is Bliss

Butterflies need sunshine to warm them up each morning, so a spot sheltered from the wind with a rock or two to amplify heat early in the day is ideal. A patio facing south or east can do the trick, or a line of rock edging along a flower bed located in a wide open and sunny spot is great.

Think of a flower meadow and your mind will automatically add butterflies to the scene, so try to recreate that ideal with an open area in the garden where they can flit and fly from plant to plant bathed in sunshine. A sunny deck or patio

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