Attracting Butterflies
One of the best "fringe benefits" of having a flower garden is being visited by those winged wonders, butterflies. There are many plants to entice these fellows into stopping for a visit.
Butterflies have simple tastes in flowers - bright colors and plenty of nectar. With just a little effort you can create a wonderful habitat for them to enjoy. Of course, Butterfly Bushes are a good choice, but there are plenty of others. Marigolds, Sunflowers, and Zinnias are a favorite of the swallow-tails around
North Carolina.Asclepias (milkweed) are considered weeds, but are the favorite meal for Monarch larvae. It is the poisons in the milkweed that make the Monarch Butterfly unattractive to predators. Butterfly Plant (also called Butterfly Weed) is a beautiful variety of milkweed that you won’t mind having around. Other good choices are Pentas, Asters, Daisies, Mums, and Dianthus.
You may soon notice other welcome visitors to your butterfly garden. Hummingbirds enjoy many of the same varieties of flowers and the addition of a Hummingbird feeder near your garden will insure that they stick around. Zinnias are one of the most powerful attractants in a yard with butterflies and hummingbirds competing for their nectar and goldfinches stopping by to eat their seeds.