Monarch butterfly on Thoroughwort, photo courtesy of Jennifer Gonzalez
The saying goes that good fences make good neighbors, but good gardens can be just as effective. As notably quiet creatures, butterflies can easily add a spark of color and life to anyone’s garden — but they offer more than just their good looks.
Butterflies and moths are indicators of a healthy ecosystem and collectively add great value to their environment, including playing a role in pollination and offering natural pest control.
“For many people, one of the greatest joys of their gardens is the wildlife that their plants attract. With just a little information, even the tiniest patio garden can include plants that invite butterflies to stop and feed,” said Maureen Robinson, a landscape designer with Blue House Gardens, a company that creates unique small and large-scale residential projects.
Robinson believes that good gardens make good neighbors – and good hosts. The biochemist-turned-outdoor-nature-enthusiast completed her degree in Landscape Design from The George Washington University in 2008 and “never looked back.” Butterfly gardens tend to be viewed as a specialty, she explains, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. “When we think of butterfly gardens, we typically think of a sunny flower meadow with Coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans, but, interestingly, trees and shrubs can also be quite attractive to butterflies,” Robinson said.
In fact, very little is required to turn an outdoor space into a butterfly garden. With the right growing conditions — determining the direction of the sun, available space, and how moist or dry the soil is — and some seasonal weeding and plant support, anyone can create their own backyard butterfly garden.
Starting a Butterfly Garden
Butterfly gardens serve two purposes: charm and function.
Different species of butterflies have different needs. The best garden plans strive to include more native plants. Focus on plants that can provide food for both caterpillars and adult butterflies while supporting the local ecosystem.
You can create a stand-alone entity within the landscape by building a separate bed for a butterfly garden, or incorporate new, wildlife-friendly plants of your choice into a larger garden plan.
Native Butterfly-Friendly Plants
Virginia’s native plants are naturally beautiful, low maintenance, and good for the environment. Once planted in the right place, native plants are already adapted to local conditions, requiring less water and ongoing care.
To attract adult butterflies, it is best to plant a variety of native plants with different bloom times in order to assure that something is in flower from early spring to late fall.
You can find Virginia native plants at a number of local nurseries (or your local nursery or landscape design company can order them for you).
The Virginia Society of Native Plants has a list of nurseries that specialize in native plants at vnps.org/conservation/plant-nurseries. What you choose to plant depends in part on your personal preferences for color, structure and aesthetics.
Robinson offers a few design principles for your garden. Plant greater numbers of fewer varieties: 10 plants of three different varieties is going to look a lot better than 30 completely different plants. Robinson recommends that you try to keep some consistency in the garden. Plant in masses and use the principle of repetition.
Planting large quantities – and grouping the same plants in 2 or 3 places - will increase the likelihood that butterflies will find and feed on your plants.
Read plant tags carefully. Look for plants that are neonicotinoid-free. Neonicotinoids are insecticides taken up by plants that prevent the plant from being eaten by leaf-chewing insects. That may sound appealing, but without leaf-eating caterpillars, there are no butterflies!
Don’t overthink it. As Robinson said, “You’re trying to attract insects, not fairies. If you plant it, they will come.” Whether you prefer for your plants to stay upright and self-contained or look a little bit more casual, here are a few options to consider
• Eastern Red Columbine • Virginia Bluebell • Wild Geranium • Carolina Wild Petunia • Butterfly Milkweed • Turk’s Cap Lily • Gayfeather • Joe-Pye Weed “Little Joe” • Scarlet Beebalm • Wild Bergamot • Summer Phlox • Swamp Milkweed • Cardinal Flower • Black-eyed Susan • New York Ironweed • Bluestem Goldenrod
Monarch Butterflies
Butterfly gardens are more important now than ever before, with recent studies showing that monarch butterflies are in crisis.
The number of monarch butterflies has declined by 68 percent over the past two decades nationwide, and by up to 90 percent in some states.
To attract Monarch butterflies, plant Milkweed. Monarchs need Milkweed to grow, according to the Butterfly Society of Virginia, because Monarch caterpillars only eat Milkweed plants, and the butterflies need milkweed to lay eggs.
