Butterfly Gardens

Nothing is more delightful than walking out into a beautiful garden than to have it come to life with an array of butterflies. If this hasn't been a successful strategy in your garden so far, this quarter's newsletter should help you invite butterflies to visit now and for many seasons thereafter.

Just an Egg

When getting started with the design of your butterfly garden, the placement of your butterfly friendly plants is key. Females will lay their eggs on or near "host plants". Newly hatched caterpillars are unable to travel far distances during their first phase of life so it is important that nectar plants are located closely to the hosts. In order for the caterpillar to survive, strategically planting a combination of both plant types is important.

Although some butterflies can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifespan, if there is not a sufficient amount of safe host plants and food, your garden may produce few butterflies. A helpful rule of thumb is to integrate your host plants with your nectar plants. Additionally, these plants will be used for food, so if you do not wish to have half-eaten plants in plain view, plan to place your host and nectar plants in an inconspicuous location of your yard.

Oh, My Plants!

Now that you have planned your design to have nectar and host plants it is important to keep in mind that these hatchlings are going to use your host plants as food. Depending on the number of eggs hatched, your host plants may not have many leaves left on them once the caterpillars have grazed their way to a mature state—if you find this to be the case, you have successfully selected a safe haven for caterpillars and provided a very a good travel distance for them to find food after being hatched.

Nectar Plants

Providing a good array of nectar-rich plants suited for your native butterflies may ensure their returns for years to come. In northern California, spring is the butterfly migration period so it is important to plant butterfly friendly plants for a spring time bloom. Also select plants that will bloom throughout the season and beyond.

Okay, So Which Plants Do I Use?

The list is endless. Jefferson Landscape and Design has provided a partial list of recommended plants to help you get started.

BUTTERFLY PLANTS

Botanical Name Common Name

Hibiscus Moscheutos Rose Mallow

Abutilon Palmeri Indian Mallow

Baccharis Pilularis Coyote Brush

Ceanothus Buck Brush

Cornus Florida Flowering Dogwood

Poites Sonora Sonora Skipper

Festuca Fescue

Juniperus Californica California Juniper

Prunus Ilicifolia Hollyleaf Cherry

Rhododendron Occidentale Western Azalea

Ribes Californicum Hillside Gooseberry

Salix Lasiolepsis Arroyo Willow

Stipa Purple Stipa

For more information, please visit http://www.thebutterflysite.com