Include host plants in your garden. If you want more butterflies in your garden provide for caterpillars. Butterflies lay their eggs on host plants that the emerging caterpillar will eat. You may want to designate a separate area for these, away from the main flower garden. Use colorful plants.
Butterflies see more colors than humans do.
They seem to prefer red, orange, yellow, purple, and dark pink with single or clustered flowers. A large colorful garden is easy for butterflies to find and encourages them to stay longer. Place dark stones in your garden. Butterflies will lay on the stones with their wings open to warm their bodies. This is known as basking.