Involving an egg, larva or caterpillar, pupa or chrysalis, and adult stage. Depending on the species, the life cycle of a butterfly may take anywhere from one month to a year. Usually, the most common butterflies are multiple-brooded and provide several generations to your butterfly garden throughout the season. The plants that attract butterflies for nectar, shelter and food do best in full sun. Plant your butterfly garden in light well-drained soil in a location that gets at least 6 hours of full sun a day.
Many native butterflies seem to prefer purple, yellow, orange, and red-colored blossoms.
Clusters of short, tubular flowers or flat-topped blossoms provide the ideal shapes for butterflies to land easily and feed. The nectar of single flowers are more accessible and easier for butterflies to extract than the nectar of flowers with double petal rows. Butterflies are first attracted to flowers by their color so it is a good idea to plant your garden with drifts of different plants. Butterflies are active from early spring until late fall. Plant a selection of flowers that will provide nectar throughout the entire growing season.