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Create a Butterfly Garden In Your Backyard or Schoolyard

If you wish to attract butterflies to your yard, a few elements are needed in order to encourage them to make your yard their home.  If you provide the right food sources (host plants) for the caterpillar and the favorite food sources for the adult butterfly, you have the opportunity to watch a miracle right before your eyes as a caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly!  

Below is a list of plants that feed both the caterpillar and the adult butterfly.  Many of these plants can be found at your local nursery.  For a more comprehensive list, please click on  the links listed below. 

Feel free to print the list for your use.

Some DO'S and DON'TS:

Do provide a water source for butterflies.  This can include a shallow dish that is filled with water and placed in the butterfly garden, or a mist sprayer set up to spray mist in the butterfly garden.

Do use native plants.  Native plants are best suited for the region where you live and are generally the easiest to maintain, and are the most likely source to attract butterflies.

Don't use insecticides in your butterfly garden.  Insecticides not only kill "pests" but also kill the butterflies and caterpillars you wish to attract.  (Use caution using any pesticide near your butterfly garden as it may kill the butterflies and caterpillars that live there).

Nectar-Bearing Plants Visited By Butterflies:

            Flowers                            Approx. Height       Flower              Growing Conditions

            New York Aster                             1-4'           July-October              Moist area, sun

            Ironweed                                        3-6'           August-October         Moist area, sun             

            Joe-pye-weeds                             2-6'           July-September         Moist area, part sun

            Scarlet Beebalm                           2-5'           June-August              Moist area, sun

            Wild Bergemot                              2-4'           June-September       Dry area, Sun

            Common Milkweed                      2-6'           June-August               Dry area, Sun

            Butterfly weed                               1-2'           June-September        Dry area, sun

            Black-eyed Susan                        1-3'           June-October             Dry area, Sun

            Phlox                                              2-6'          July-October                Semi-moist, part sun

            Blazing Stars                                1-6'          July-September           Moist area, sun  

            Eastern Purple Coneflower         1-5'          June-October              Dry area, sun

            Cardinal Flower                            1-4'          July-October                Moist area, part sun

            Sunflowers                                    2-13'        June-November          Dry area, Sun

            Tickseed (coreopsis)                  2-4'          May-August                  Dry area, sun

            Verbena                                       1-2'           May-October                Dry area, sun/part sun

            Goldenrods                                  2-4'          July-October                 Dry area, Sun

            Scabiosa                                      2-3'          May-September          Dry area, Part Sun

            Shrubs

            Azaleas                                        2-4'          May-July                       Part shade

            Buttonbush                           up to 20'          May-September         Moist area

            Sweet Pepperbush                   3-10'          July-September          Wetlands

            New Jersey Tea                         3-4'            May-July                      Semi-moist

Plants That Serve As A Food Source For Caterpillars:

Flowers/Plants

Shrubs

Trees

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Picture Left:  This Black Swallowtail caterpillar, Papilio polyxenes  spent a few days munching away on this wild parsley.  Notice an egg directly above the caterpillar.  Picture Right:  Black Swallowtail caterpillars eating fennel.

Black Swallowtail caterpillars love to eat parsley, dill, fennel, and common rue.  These are great host plants to add into your garden, and a sure way to attract butterflies and caterpillars!  

An herb garden complete with host plants is a sure way to attract and provide a food source for caterpillars.  Butterflies almost always lay their eggs on the host plant preferred by the caterpillar.  Can you find the two caterpillars in this picture?

Native Plants of New Jersey

For more native plant pictures and information on native plants, please visit the Native Plant Society of New Jersey website: www.npsnj.org

Links of Interest

http://www.npsnj.org/  Native Plant Society of New Jersey

http://eelink.net/pages/EE+Activities+-+School+Gardens  North American Association for Environmental Education

http://www.schoolgardenwizard.org/  School Garden Wizard

http://www.kidsgardening.com/  National Gardening Association ~Kids Gardening

http://www.ncwildflower.org/plants/plants.htm  NC Native Plant Society ~ Pictures of native plants

http://www.jmgkids.us/index.k2?did=11866&sectionID=10398  Junior Master Gardener

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