I am looking for suggestions in creating a butterfly garden for a specialized children's camp. I have the perfect all day sunny spot picked out. In the middle of this perfect spot is an unsightly concrete well. I am thinking a butterfly bush and butterfly weed behind the well and a horseshoe trellis over the well with a butterfly loving vine. Plants will have to be hardy as no tending can be done once the children arrive (late June to Mid-August). I would appreciate all suggestions so a plan is ready by March. A goal is to start, at that time, getting the word out for seeds/divisions from gardening friends.
Having read the posts on Hummingbird moths I would also like plant suggestions to attract these. I hope to provide a butterfly book for identification and am sure spotting this moth would delight the campers. I look forward to tapping the wealth of information shared on this site and thanks in advance for your assistance.
Hmmm, a concrete well in the middle of a children's garden? Why does that make me think of a dingo ranch next door to a baby nursery...! I am sure it will be made safe!!!
Anyway, you've already mentioned a couple of the best, butterfly bush (Buddleia) and butterfly weed (Asclepias). I found a lot of butterflies attracted to purple coneflower (Echinacea) in my garden, and these flowers come in some cool new colors.
As for vines, the easiest would probably be a clematis, but I'm not sure how much those attract butterflies. Trumpet vines are nice, but very invasive, so I don't recommend planting those. Morning glories are very pretty but are an annual.
Butterfly bushes and butterfly weed would be excellent
Do not forget to grow plants for the larva to feed on,
I grow a patch of dill just for the Swallowtails, milkweed family, for the Monarchs, etc
Find out what food sources you need in your area, and you will have butterflies forever.
One thing that will definitely attract the hummingbird moths is flower tobacco (nicotiana). It's an annual, but is self sowing. I planted it once about 10 years ago, and I have it everywhere. Each year I have different colors and plant forms, all from a planting of a dwarf variety. If you want to PM me with an address, I can send you some seeds from my plants. My yard is full of hummingbird moths most years, and my grandchildren were just fascinated with them when they were younger.
Linda P
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten.....
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Thanks to Dolly for the excellent butterfly information, the welcome from LucyGoose, the offer of seeds from Linda P. and to the rest of the posters for focusing my list on proven butterfly favorites. As a Herb Society member, I can't believe herbs skipped my mind.
I JUST saw a special on home & garden tv about how to create a butterfly habitat. They dug a shallow bog , using a rubber liner to encourage moisture with manure and dirt. They hung feeders from the trees of decomposing fruit. At the santuary I visited this summer, they had misters hanging from the trees to resemble a rain forest. The possibilties are endless. Sounds like great fun. Enjoy. Later, Love, Lisa
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gramush1 wrote:Do not forget to grow plants for the larva to feed on,
I grow a patch of dill just for the Swallowtails, milkweed family, for the Monarchs, etc
Find out what food sources you need in your area, and you will have butterflies forever.
I strongly agree here. This is the single most important thing I've found for increasing the numbers indefinitely. The butterflies will appear more regularly and earlier, extending the season. It also provides opportunities to see all the life stages of development. Very exciting. Good luck with your project.
In november, I had a conference about butterflies. In addition to plants, I learned that we can create a way that butterflies will come back generations after generations. Butterflies leave a pheromon (I don't know if it's a word in english, but it's like a smell) where they eat. The next generation (because life of butterflies is very short) know where to come back. Instead of a bird bath, he make a butterflies bath with sand and water (just below the level of sand) and he leave some fruits in. He also make a recipe to spread on tree who attract butterflies. I don't have the recipe with me but if you are interested, I can look for it. Also, he made me realised that we don't have to be afraid of caterpillar because since they don't eat the same thing, when we try to attract butterflies, we don't have automatically caterpillar.
Interesting! My mom once sent me a link (I probably have it somewhere in the favorites) that said something like what you are saying.,....Also, something about a little dish of water for them.....I am interested in the recipe, please!!
