A butterfly garden needs plants and flowers that are going to specifically attract butterflies. There are lots of flowers and plants that are full of pollen, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that butterflies will like them. Bees and butterflies are both pollinators but prefer different flowers.
So, it’s a good idea to have a range of the flowers listed in the first section of this article. You can have a garden entirely made up of flowers that butterflies will love as this will be a fantastic way to support your local ecosystem. It might not save the planet from the dangers of the climate emergency, but it will definitely make an impact on your local area.
But flowers aren’t all you need for your butterfly garden to thrive, you need a few extra features as well. One really important feature is a drinking bowl. This might be a bit surprising but pollinators are hard workers and need somewhere to stop for a drink. We all know bird baths are useful in gardens but pollinators need a little help too.
Due to their small size, butterflies need something slightly different from a birdbath. If you have a birdbath, then you can use this but need to alter it a little. Place some small pebbles in the bath and add water until the pebbles are around ¾ of the way covered. The pebbles allow the butterflies to sit on top of the pebbles and have a drink.
If the pebbles are submerged, the water can hurt the butterflies or cause them to fall in the water. Unlike birds, the delicate and small nature of butterflies means that they will struggle in the water. Without the pebbles, even sitting on the side of the bath, they risk falling or drowning. If you don’t have a birdbath, you can use a shallow bowl or even a deep plant pot saucer.
Another important feature is somewhere for the butterflies to lay their eggs. They usually do this on vegetable plants or herbs. This won’t damage the plants but will give the eggs somewhere safe to be laid and hatch. This is a really important and useful part of a butterfly garden.