Tips for Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden

Nectar Plants Most adult butterflies feed on nectar sipped from plants. Butterflies have their favorite nectar sources but will feed on a wide range of flowers. To keep butterflies visiting throughout the year, plant a variety of flowering shrubs, perennials, annuals, and herbs. Plant each species in clusters of 3-9 plants to create showy blocks of color and fragrance. Nectar plants are crucial for butterflies, especially for migratory species like Monarchs, as they need to build up energy for their long migration.

Host Plants Adult butterflies depend on host plants to raise their larval young. Since caterpillars can’t travel far to find food, female butterflies lay their eggs directly on a suitable food source. Once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars feed on the plant until they are ready to form a chrysalis and become an adult butterfly. However, caterpillars cannot eat just any leaf; each butterfly species has specific plants that their caterpillars can eat. If you want to attract a specific species of butterfly to your yard, start by planting their host plants.

Shelter and Resting Spots Butterflies need shelter at night, in inclement weather, and to create chrysalis. Provide ornamental grasses, shrubs, trees, and rock gardens as shelter. Make sure your garden gets plenty of sunshine so butterflies can warm their wings and fly. Include a flat, sunny area with rocks where butterflies can rest and prepare for feeding.

Puddling Behavior Butterflies need water and minerals in addition to nectar. They often sip from mud puddles to get these essential nutrients. This behavior, called puddling, is especially common in male butterflies, who use the minerals to enhance their reproductive success.

Creating a Puddle for Butterflies To create a puddling spot, follow these steps:

Use a shallow birdbath or a terracotta saucer.

Fill it with sand or gravel.

Add larger flat rocks around the edges for butterflies to land on.

Place it in a sunny area and bury it in the garden so it’s level with the ground.

Keep it consistently moist.

Chemical Free Butterflies in all stages of their lifecycle are sensitive to pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides). Avoid using chemicals in your butterfly garden and surrounding areas that can kill butterflies or disrupt their ability to reproduce.

By setting up these features, you’ll create a welcoming environment for butterflies, ensuring they have the resources they need to thrive in your garden

Pollinator Plants for Texoma

Butterfly weed/flower (Asclepias tuberosa)

Flame Acanthus

Texas Lantana

Gregg’s Mistflower

Turk’s Cap

Purple Coneflower

Rockrose

Guara

Fall Aster

Skullcap

Zexmenia

Four-nerve Daisy

Mealy Blue Sage (Henery/Augusta Duelberg Saliva)

Catmint

Winecup

Chocolate Daisy

American Beautyberry

Texas Mountain Laurel

Yaupon Holly

Possumhaw Holly

Oak Trees (Red, Burr, Live, Chinquapin)