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| ATTRACTING
BUTTERFLIES TO YOUR YARD |
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Attracting
butterflies to your yard can be very rewarding!
To attract butterflies, you must provide flowers that have
nectar and host plants for them to lay their eggs on. Although
there are many plants that have nectar, butterflies are rather
specific about the plants they lay their eggs on. |
Butterflies lay
eggs on plants that the hatched caterpillars will eat as they grow
in their life cycle. It is easy to add the nectar plants but adding
those host plants will give the butterflies a place to complete
their life cycle and you will have butterflies in all life stages.
Here are some ideas for plants to put in your yard. For
nectar --
Native
plants: phlox, azaleas, thistles, fruit trees, zinnias,
ironweed, goldenrod, coneflower, buttonbush, asters, blazing
star, red clover, monarda and jewelweed.
Buy
these at the nursery: petunias, verbena, lilac, phlox,
cosmos, lantana, butterfly bush (buddlea), morning glories and
gaillardia.
For
host plants --
Native
plants: butterfly weed (Asclepias), pipevine, Queen
Anne’s lace (naturalized), chicory (naturalized), nettles,
white clover, red clover, violets, sassafras, spicebush, tulip
poplar, ash, wild cherry, elm, hackberry, coreopsis, plantain,
ruellia and some grasses (uncut grass with their seeds).
Buy
these at the nursery: dill, fennel, parsley and alfalfa
Use
a bird bath for rotting fruit or shallow puddles of water.
Prepared by Christine
Bock, Tennessee Aquarium
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The
Butterfly Garden is presented by:
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