You already know that attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators is always a primary goal when designing a new space, but you want to know how to start a butterfly garden. Landscapes should be both functional and visually attractive, so planting a butterfly garden should add beauty and longevity to your landscape design. 

🌻 First, create a lush habitat for butterflies. Pay attention to the kinds of butterflies you want to attract – monarch butterfly gardens will look different from viceroy butterfly gardens. Make sure your environment is native to what each butterfly wants.

🌱 Ensure you have the right plants for a butterfly garden. Choose both host plants and nectar plants. Butterflies lay their eggs on host plants, but they will feed on nectar plants. Be aware of non-native plants, which can be invasive and harmful!

🌎 Avoid pesticides and insecticides in your butterfly garden, which can be as harmful to the butterflies as they are to other insects. Keep your butterfly garden as natural as possible.
 Check out this video for my thought process on how incorporate a butterfly garden into your landscape.

🏕 Create some shelter for butterflies in your garden so they can escape inclement weather and other factors. This could be a stack of branches, a decorative log, or even a hedge. Fake materials could actually be lethal to the butterflies, so be sure to use as natural of a shelter as possible.

🌊 Give butterflies a location for water – a small dish, a backyard waterfall, or any place they can keep their feet dry while still reaching the water source.

For more in-depth tips, watch the video below and, if you have specific questions, leave a comment – we promise to answer each one!