5 Proven Strategies for Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden

Like bees, butterflies are an important part of the environment. Attracting them to your garden is easy, and the benefits of their beauty is substantial. With a little fine tuning, you can invite these fantastic neighbors into your home.

1. Wind Protection

Butterflies consider heavy wind conditions a danger. Gentle breezes are fine, but too much wind will alter their flight path. To provide protection from wind, garden placement is essential when ordering native plants online.

Keep part of your garden close to the house or a wall so that there is adequate protection. It is considered a safe spot as long as the plants aren’t violently swaying in the wind. For extra protection, plant tall trees or shrubs near your garden. The butterflies will always migrate to the smaller plants that they’re interested in.

2. Nectar

No matter how delicious your garden looks, it’s the nectar that is the main attraction. Butterflies seek out nectar from miles away, and they love a location that is filled to the brim with their favorite stuff.

So, the more nectar you have in your garden, the more butterflies you can expect. Nectar plants that bloom late in the season can be mixed in with your regular plants for the best effect. Nectar plants are noninvasive, and a much better choice than a butterfly bush.

3. Plant Diversity

A diverse set of plants will get you a different set of butterflies each day. Just like humans, butterflies have specific wants and needs. There are over 17,500 species, so chances are you are seeing different butterflies each day.

To simplify your garden, mix and match nectar plants of different shapes and sizes. Smaller butterflies will have a hard time drinking from larger plants. And larger butterflies will prefer a large surface that they can take a break on. When in doubt about the types of plants that work best, keep it colorful, and use different sizes.

4. Caterpillars

Does your garden have host plants for caterpillars? It is the difference between a butterfly stop and a butterfly habitat. Feeding the larvae gets you an entire community of butterflies that will call your garden a home.

It’s also the best way to attract female butterflies, which will in turn attract male butterflies that want to mate. This is where garden variety and wind protection come into play, as they will huddle around the safe area and stay rather than migrate to new areas.

5. Spacing

Putting a bird feeder near your garden is like having a 24-hour buffet for hungry predators. Practice good spacing and keep feeders and birdbaths away from your garden. With good spacing, birds and butterflies can happily coexist without nasty encounters. In an ideal setup, your garden will look like a traditional Disney movie

Your Garden Has Potential

Getting a garden right is a never-ending job that has great upside. It’s an incredible feeling to create a space that invites the natural wonders of the world. By attracting butterflies, you’re getting nature’s best tenants.