5 Easy Ways to Attract and Help Butterflies

Grow Host Plants to Attract Butterflies

We just can’t stress enough how important it is to have host plants in your garden plan to attract and help butterflies. Milkweed is important for monarchs, but don’t stop there.

Check out our top 10 butterfly host plants.

Add Native Plants

Courtesy Terry Brunholtz

Native plants are naturally better for birds, bees and butterflies. If you’re overwhelmed about where to start, look up a good native plant source in your area. Then ask them what they recommend.

How does a butterfly survive winter?

Eliminate Pesticides

Courtesy Steve Shattles

A caterpillar isn’t going to make it to the butterfly stage if you’re using pesticides in your yard. While it’s tempting to have weed-free, green lawns, to help butterflies it’s best to say no to yard chemicals.

Transform your yard into a butterfly migration hotspot.

Pick Flowering Plants with Long Blooming Time

Courtesy Christine Mccluskey

Butterflies are active as early as February and as late as November in many areas. (Of course, if you live in a warmer climate, you get an even longer butterfly season.) To help butterflies, offer plants with early and late season bloom times, so they always have something to eat. You can’t go wrong with this logic. It works great for attracting beneficial bees, too!

Here’s 16 long-blooming flowers for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

Watch the Butterflies That You Attract

Courtesy Donald Turner

One of the best ways to discover which plants butterflies like is to watch them! Butterfly watching is best done in the heat of the day. You can learn a lot by observing the plants they visit most. If you don’t have a lot of butterfly activity in your own yard, go to a local park or botanical garden.

Check out the best monarch butterfly flowers you should grow

Secrets to Growing Milkweed for Butterflies

Courtesy Jennifer Quam