The Seed is the horticultural magazine of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. It is published twice a year for the members of the Arboretum. This issue was written by Karma Larsen. Copyright 1999. For a full version of this publication with visuals, photographs, charts, landscape designs, etc. call 402-472-2971.

The Seed, Winter 1999

Butterfly Gardens

      Gardening in itself is a kind of attempt to capture what cannot be taken captive. To plant a garden that will attract butterflies is to try to capture not a still garden but a rapidly moving one, to plant "dream flowers."
       Many species of butterflies are common to Nebraska, and almost any flower garden will attract them. The goal in creating a butterfly garden is somewhat more determined than that–to attract as many different varieties of butterflies, in as many different stages of life, for as long as possible.

Site
       Butterflies are coldblooded, relying on the sun to regulate their temperatures. So sunlight is a primary requisite of any butterfly garden. Following the sun as it moves through your yard during the day will give you an idea of where to plant perennials or shrubs so there will be food sources in full sunlight as much of the day as possible, particularly in the spring and fall when temperatures are cooler. Fieldstone pathways in unshaded areas can provide additional sunning spots. Even windowboxes or small flowerpots scattered throughout the yard can help keep them close at hand.
       Butterflies prefer areas that are sheltered from the wind. Plantings of trees or shrubs, or even fences or trellises, can keep them from being buffeted about as they gather nectar. The site doesn’t need to be entirely enclosed, but it should keep out prevailing winds as much as possible. You might also want to make sure it’s protected from hard play areas near basketball hoops, etc.
       Water is another requisite. Wet sand, earth or mud are accessible water sources for them–or water surrounded by rocks or other hard surface since they’re unable to drink from open water. One way to provide a good water source in a small yard is to fill a bucket with sand up to the top inch or so and bury it in a sunny area. Additional rocks on the surface will make it an even more inviting perch. Some butterfly gardeners go so far as to make up their own recipes–mixtures of sugar or honey water, stale beer, fermented bananas or other fruits–and apply it to rocks or tree bark.
       The greater the variety of habitats you provide, and the more it has in common with their naturalized habitats, the greater the variety of butterflies it can attract. In areas where you are trying to attract butterflies, very little or no pesticides or insecticides should be used. Dale Lindgren, horticulturist at the UNL West Central Research and Extension Center, warns that "Even biological controls, such as BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) will kill butterfly larvae." And since aerial sprinklers wash away the pollen and nectar, you might also try to avoid overhead watering.
       A final consideration in siting a butterfly garden has more to do with your enjoyment than theirs. Can the area where you’re hoping to attract them be seen from the kitchen, the patio, or other living areas where you will be able to enjoy watching them? Is there a bench nearby?

Plants for Larva
      With butterflies, possibly more than with any other wildlife, it’s helpful to be aware of their life cycle, as different stages require entirely different food sources and/or habitats. The four-stage developmental process of metamorphosis includes the egg, the larva or caterpillar, the pupa or chrysalis, and the adult butterfly. The two eating stages of this cycle are the caterpillar stage, when they are limited in physical range and movement and require very specific types of larval food, and the adult stage when they are collecting nectar.
       Their life cycles last from one month to a year, and most butterflies have several broods in a given year, but they will lay their eggs only on the particular plants the caterpillar will need to eat once it hatches. The fragrance of some host plants may actually elicit egg-laying in the female buttefly. Monarchs will lay their eggs only on members of the milkweed family. Swallowtails lay their eggs on members of the parsley family–dill, fennel, Queen-Anne’s lace, etc. The caterpillar of the viceroy butterfly feeds on willows. Zebra longwings prefer the foliage of passionflower, an annual vine.
       To encourage them to stay and lay their eggs, some of the species of trees and shrubs you might want to include are:
birch, Betula
buckeye/chestnut, Aesculus
cherry, Prunus
chokecherry, Prunus virginiana
crabapples, Malus
elm, Ulmus
hawthorns, Cratageus
oak, Quercus
pawpaw, Asimina triloba
red cedar, Juniperus virginiana
wild plum, Prunus americana
willow, Salix

For perennials, you can include members of the milkweed family:
bloodflower, Asclepias curassavica
butterfly milkweed, A. tuberosa
prairie milkweed, A. sullivantii
swamp milkweed, A incarnata
And members of the aster family:
blanketflower, Gaillardia x grandiflora
Coreopsis spp.
Goldsturm rudbeckia, Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’
New England aster, Aster novae-angliae
purple coneflowers, Echinacea spp.
yarrow, Achillea millefolium

Nectar Sources
      Even from miles away, butterflies can identify their favored nectar plants. It’s best to plant these flowers in masses rather than singly, both to attract them to your garden initially and to get them to stay, as they will tend to select the most prevalent nectar source available in one area and then remain there. The pollination techniques used by butterflies vary from one flower species to another; repeated pollination of a particular species conserves the butterfly’s energy and makes nectar extraction easier and more effective.
       Many of the flowers they prefer have "nectar guides," lines or patterns leading into the flower’s center where the nectaries are contained. They tend to prefer plants whose flowers occur in clusters so they don’t have to fly from one flower to another to collect more pollen. The size of the flower’s "perching platform" is important, as it will determine the size of butterfly that will be attracted to it. They rarely visit flowers hanging downward from a stem or vine, or double ornamental blossoms.
       Butterflies have highly refined senses of sight, smell and taste. Unlike humans, they can see ultraviolet light, so they can differentiate between blossoms that would be identical to the human eye. Bob Henrickson, curator of the State Fair Park Arboretum, says "There are no universal rules about what flowers work best in a butterfly garden, but lavender, purple, and pink appeal to many butterflies. Swallowtails are more likely to visit red flowers, including beebalm and zinnias."
       They tend to prefer some of the more fragrant plants– lilacs, lavendar, sweet alyssum and fragrant viburnums. For fragrance, Henrickson says, "Stick to old-fashioned varieties more than the faint-scented modern forms of the same flower (garden phlox for example)." As far as taste, another butterfly gardener writes that "Monarchs respond to sugar solutions of .0003%, a taste sensitivity 1408 times greater than that of humans."
       Members of the milkweed and aster family (listed above as larval food sources) and the lily family (alliums, daylilies, etc.) are good nectar sources for the adult butterfly. Other good selections include various selections of:
bee-balm, Monarda
Gayfeathers, Liatris
goldenrods, Solidago
hollyhocks, Alcea rosea
Joe-Pye weed, Eupatorium purpureum
Lantana
Phlox
pincushion flower, Scabiosa
Sedum
       Adult butterflies will also be attracted to peas, clovers and other legumes, like sweet peas, lupines, alfalfa and clovers.
       In terms of bushes and trees, good choices include species of:
butterfly-bush, Buddleia
black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia
Cotoneaster
false indigo, Amorpha fruticosa
indigo-bushes, Dalea
lilacs, Syringa species and cultivars
Potentilla
Viburnum
Wisteria
       Some of the native grasses you might want to include in a butterfly garden for resting and hiding places are:
big bluestem, Adropogon gerardii
little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium
prairie dropseed, Sporobolus heterolepsis
sideoats grama, Bouteloua curtipendula
switchgrass, Panicum virgatum
Indiangrass, Sorghastrum nutans
       Herbs are good additions to butterfly gardens, particularly mints, hyssops, lavender, thyme, rosemary, catnip and catmints.
       Long-blooming annuals can fill in any gaps: zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, sunflowers, sweet alyssum, coneflowers, verbena, passionflower, petunias, etc. In the vegetable garden, cabbages, broccoli, collards, carrots and beans are excellent food sources.
       A final recommendation is perhaps the simplest to follow–leave a weedy patch in part of your garden. Thistles, nettles, clover, violets, fleabanes and other weeds are some of their preferred host plants and nectar sources. If you have fruit trees, they’ll be attracted to the rotting fruit. Even pet droppings are a food source for some butterflies.
       Butterflies have many predators, particularly birds and other insects. Much of their beauty is actually for camouflage and diversion. The eyespots and colorful tails of wingtails divert predators from more vulnerable areas; they can be damaged or lost without actually harming the butterfly. Since most of their predators descend on them from above, it’s best to approach them from the side or even below if you want to observe them close at hand.

Fall and Winter
      Many butterflies, like monarchs, migrate south in the fall to spend the winter in warmer climates. Including fall-blooming forbs like asters and goldenrods in your garden will help them along on their journey. For species that overwinter in Nebraska, it’s helpful to leave wood or brush piles or thickets where they can spend the winter as eggs, chrysalises, caterpillars (some roll themselves up in leaves for the winter), or as adult butterflies–hibernating in the hollows of trees, etc.
       Butterflies are part of the insect order Lepidoptera. There are seven general families of butterflies, and representatives of all seven can be found in Nebraska:
Swallowtails — Eastern Black Swallowtail, Tiger Swallowtail
Whites and yellows — Clouded Sulphur, European Cabbage White
Gossamer wings – Gray Hairstreak, Spring Azure, Eastern Tailed Blue
Brushfoots — Great Spangled Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Painted Lady, Pearl Crescent, Red Admiral
Skippers — Checkered Skipper, Tawny-edged Skipper, Sachem
Milkweed butterflies – Monarch
Satyr or brown butterflies — Northern Pearly Eye, Little Wood Satyr

Broader Implications
      Besides the sheer pleasure of turning a "still garden" into a suddenly moving one, there are other strong arguments for butterfly gardens. One of the authors in a Smithsonian publication argues that "Planting local native plant species in a rich, well-planned butterfly garden reduces the isolation of native plants in reserves and parks, provides essential corridors between remaining patches of habitat, and aids in repairing the patchwork of ecosystems that survive."
       Another, speaking from a more personal perspective, writes "I am very concerned about what I call the extinction of experience–the loss of everyday species within our own radius of reach." Planting a butterfly garden speaks both to the wider environment and to the more narrow reach of our personal experience. More than anything, probably, butterfly gardens are created to be enjoyed!

Recommended Reading
Dennis, J. V. & M. Tekulsky. How to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies.
Ellis, Barbara. Attracting Birds and Butterflies.
Heitzman, J. R. and J. E. Heitzman. Butterflies and Moths of Missouri.
Lindgren, D. T. 1992. Wildflowers for the Home Landscape. University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension NebGuide G-1074.
Opler, P.A. 1992. A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies.
Sedenko, J. 1991. The Butterfly Garden.
Stokes, D., L. Stokes & E. Williams. The Butterfly Book.
Tekulsky, M. The Butterfly Garden.
Xerces Society/Smithsonian Institution. Butterfly Gardening.

Butterfly Gardens in the Public Landscape
       The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum has supported the planting of a number of butterfly gardens, some at its affiliated arboreta, others at grant-funded Green Space projects in schools, parks and other public areas across the state. A few examples you might want to visit are:
Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center Arboretum in Gretna
Folsom Children’s Zoo in Lincoln
State Fair Park Arboretum in Lincoln
Folsom Children’s Zoo in Lincoln
Waverly Elementary School
Rousseau Elementary School in Lincoln
Prescott Elementary School in Lincoln
Edison School in Omaha