Butterfly Plants

• Though the flowers that attract pollinators are often bright and cheerful, butterflies are oblivious to vivid colors; they only see the ultraviolet color patterns on the petals. Invisible to the human eye, these patterns draw a clear, concise map to the nectar source, pointing pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds in the right direction. Flowers with flat heads also attract butterflies because they give them a safe place to land.
  
  

Japanese Shrubs

• Provide butterflies with a natural food source by incorporating the Japanese honeysuckle and the Japanese anemone into the landscape. The shrubby Japanese honeysuckle produces clusters of trumpet-shaped, fragrant, creamy white flowers from late spring through early fall. Like most honeysuckles, you can train its slender twining stems up a trellis or fence, adding color and fragrance without taking up space. In contrast, the Japanese anemone has a more standard, shrub-like form, reaching 5 feet in height and 3 feet in width. Additionally, this hardy Asian hybrid produces eye-catching flowers of late summer. The cup-like blooms fill the garden with splashes of white, pink or rose while perfuming the air with a light, sweet scent.
  
  

Garden Design

• To attract the most butterflies to the yard, plant shrubs in groups rather than scattering them around the garden. When in bloom, the collective display of flowers will beckon butterflies by sight and scent. Be sure to site the shrubs in full sun and protect them from the wind with a fence or windbreak; blustery conditions will keep butterflies at bay. Additionally, set flat rocks in sunny spaces throughout the garden because they will provide the butterflies with a level surface for sunning.
  
  

Disadvantages

• Charming as they may be, even butterflies have an unpleasant side. The delightful, winged form represents a single stage of the butterfly lifecycle; all butterflies were once caterpillars. Before they can change into butterflies, caterpillars spend several weeks dining on the surrounding foliage. When they gather enough energy to form a cocoon, caterpillars seal themselves inside and undergo a transformation, emerging as the beloved butterfly. Drawing more butterflies into the yard means tolerating an increase in the damage they do as caterpillars.