Released: March 21, 2002

Also see: March 2002 Yard 'n Garden news package

For Sheer Beauty, ’Plant’ Butterflies

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- With their fragile, fluttery wings in jewel tones, butterflies can outshine the colorful flowers that provide their food.

So, it’s no surprise that a growing trend in home landscapes now is butterfly "gardening."

"Attracting specific species to your yard can take some research and work. If nothing else, different species of butterfly prefer different plants," said Ward Upham, horticulturist at Kansas State University.

But, the delicate insects all have the same basic needs. And that means gardeners who include some variety while planning and planting a butterfly-friendly environment can still achieve good results.

"With this approach, part of the fun is seeing which species the garden attracts – perhaps also trying to figure out why," said Upham, who coordinates K-State Research and Extension’s statewide Master Gardener program.

One of the required basics is water, which butterflies in the wild tend to get from tiny pools of dew and rain, cradled in petals and leaves.

"Birdbaths can provide a more dependable supply, but they really aren’t a very effective substitute for dew trapped in flowers. They’re too deep and too wide," the horticulturist said. "Besides, their major purpose – their design – is to attract butterfly predators!"

He recommends a simple alternative: Fill a rust-proof bucket with gravel and bury it up to the rim. Add water, sugar water or sweet drinks that you "top off" again whenever moisture is no longer visible between the rocks.

"With this setup, butterflies can stay dry and maintain a secure balance on the gravel, yet still reach the liquid they need," Upham said.

Insects are as cold-blooded as snakes, and that fact creates other basic needs. It also explains why open areas attract butterflies on cool days. Shade lures them when sunlight is intense.

"Most garden designs include at least some warm and cool areas. After all, plants cast a shadow on the sunniest southern slope," he said. "But butterflies like warm places that are both sunny and open, not totally covered with plants. They need shade that’s deep enough to be several degrees cooler than the temperature in more exposed areas.

"Providing both types of shelter can take some thought while planning a butterfly-friendly planting."

The final requirement is food, and that means flowers.

Upham said a diversity of flowers that bloom at different times of day and different times of year has the best odds for attracting a diversity of butterfly visitors. But gardeners can carry the variety too far.

"A single annual or flowering perennial plant is hard for a butterfly to detect. So you can’t plant one of everything that blooms," he said. "You have to limit your choices in order to have room for a group of each type of bedding plant you select, as well as for flowering shrubs."

Upham said scientifically recognized butterfly favorites include the following:

* Annual flowers – ageratum, cosmos, French marigold, petunia, verbena, zinnia.

* Early-blooming perennials and shrubs – allium, chives, forget-me-not, lilac.

* Mid-season perennials and shrubs – bee balm, black-eyed Susan, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, buttonbush, daisy, daylily, gaillardia, lavender, lily, mint, phlox, privet, sunflower, veronica.

* Late-blooming perennials – aster, glossy abelia, sedum.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Kathleen Ward, Communications Specialist
kward@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News