Short flower tubes allow butterflies to reach the nectar. Some good plant choices to consider are bee balm, cone flowers, thyme, goldenrod, butterfly bush, lavender, lilies, marigold, wild geranium, verbenas, zinnia, asters, violets, milkweed and many mint family plants. Any nectar producing plants should be grown in open, sunny areas, as adult butterflies rarely feed on plants in the shade. If you want to lure butterflies to your yard, consider a specialized butterfly feeder. Place these feeders in sunny locations near flowers they will be attracted to.
Butterflies like to hang out around mud puddles, wet sand and gravel areas.
Here they will congregate and absorb the water and salts. Provide mud puddles or wet areas in your garden. Pick an area close to your butterfly garden and sprinkle small rocks or gravel in a concentrated area. Consider a butterfly hibernation box in your backyard. A butterfly hibernation box is a tall, slender wood box with vertical slots on the front to allow butterflies access inside.