How to Create a Butterfly-Friendly Garden

By planting native plants and pollinator-loving flowers, gardeners can create habitats for beneficial insects and birds with an emphasis on Monarch butterflies.

While the urge to tidy your garden after winter is likely strong, resist the temptation to remove matted leaves right away. Instead, wait until nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 50 degrees, which allows the overwintering, beneficial insects a chance to wake up and get back to nature.

When you are planning a pollinator garden, make sure you have a good sunny area with at least six hours of full sun for optimal blooms. Plant in large groupings, instead of one or two. This will allow butterflies to easily find your garden. Don’t forget to incorporate native shrubs, vines, or a native tree into your plan. These woodier plants provide structures for butterflies to roost at night as well as protection during stormy weather.

Planting a variety of native plants provides the proper habitat and food for beneficial insects, especially butterflies. We all like to see them flutter through the garden, and Asclepias (milkweed) is one of their favorites.

Done properly, you can have a beautiful succession of blooms, from early Spring until a hard freeze. Additionally, don’t forget that many pollinators, like butterflies, enjoy rotting fruit, tree sap, and an occasional “puddling” in a muddy area.

Stop in Countryside today and start planning for a garden you can enjoy sharing with pollinators. If we could all have an area of native plants in our yard, what wonderful strides we would make in keeping our ecosystem healthy.

For more information, please contact:

Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center

5301 E. Terra Cotta Ave (Rte 176)

Crystal Lake, IL

Ph: 815-459-8130

www.countrysideflowershop.com