Butterfly Gardening

By Amanda Green, Master Gardener

 gulf fritillary emerging from chrysalis- ●     Photo by Amanda Green

When you think of a butterfly garden, I’m sure you picture a flowerbed of big, bright blooms, a few butterflies, and sunshine. What happens when you get down to the plant level and look a little closer? You will see caterpillars munching, a chrysalis hanging from a stem, maybe a cocoon bundled up in the leaf litter. It really is a magical experience to see all the life stages in one spot.

swallowtail butterfly in chrysalis-Photo by Amanda Green

When planning your butterfly garden, it’s essential to prepare for all stages of their life cycle. Starting with their larvae, it is vital to consider what they eat. Each species has a particular plant or plant family they need to survive. Do you love the beautiful orange Gulf Fritillary? Plant Passion Vines. For cute little Border Patch and Checkerspot butterflies, plant sunflowers. My absolute favorite butterflies are the Black Swallowtails. I plant lots of Prairie Parsley, Fennel, and Dill, and always have hundreds a year!

Black Swallowtail on Mealy Blue Sage Photo by Amanda Green

For the next phase of their life, you will want to provide them with cover to protect their cocoons and chrysalises. Planting densely and using plenty of woody-stemmed plants will get the job done. They will help protect them from inclement weather and predators.

●     Common Buckeye butterfly larvae on their host plant, Ruella. Photo by Amanda Green

For the grand finale, flowers! Adult butterflies need an excellent nectar source, and not all flowers are created equal. You will want to plant flowers that aren’t “doubles” as the butterflies can’t eat from those. We have many beautiful native plants that have evolved alongside these butterflies to support their nutrition. Non-native plants often do not provide the food that our native plants do, sometimes none. Blanket flowers, Basket flowers, and Native Daisies are always the biggest hit in my garden. Happy planting!

If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.   Additional information and our blog, with access to past articles, are available at westtexasgardening.org.  Click on “Resources.”