Butterfly Gardening with Native Plants

Butterflies are one of natures greatest gifts. They have brilliant colors. They love sunlight. Butterflies occur in areas where thier specific needs are meet. The best thing to do is find out what kind of butterfly's you like that are native to your area and tailor your garden to supply that butterflies requirments.
Butterflies undergo 4 stages in thier lives. They begin as eggs. Female butterflies seek out the tend green new plant growth for laying thier eggs. They usually lay thiers eggs singlely or in small patches. This insures that each catterpillar gets the most nutricious food supply possible.

Eggs normally hatch in 4 days to a week. When they hatch the second stage begins. The caterpillar.
Caterpillars are eating machines. Thier appetites are what causes the gardener to use pesticides to protect thier perfect plants. Gardeners must keep in mind the caterpillars rarely do real damage to the plants.
While butterflies consume nearly every lots of plants they normally only eat one kind of plant ex: monarchand queen caterpillars feed only on milkweed. This is the way they naturally reduce competition.
Caterpillars cycle only last around 2 weeks. At the end of that time they will stop eating for a day and shed thier skin. Wen that stage is finished it becomes a chrysalis. The adult butterfly hatches in about 9 days. When it hatches the wings are badly crumpled and the body is fat with posion.
The butterfly almost always emerges from it egg first thing in the morning. once out they begin waving thier wings pumping the excess body fluid into thier wings until the wings are straight and hardened. By mid morning they are ready to search for thier food and mate. This stage which we so favor is shortly lived.
The presence of the appropriate larval food plants in your garden will attract females. The females attract the males.
Butterflies have specific recurments in food, water, and shelter. Understanding these componates is neccesary when designing your garden.
Cover gives them shelter from predators and weather.
In most cases the wooded plants provide the shelter while the flowers provide nectar. Butterflies perfer the sun for feeding.
Butterflies also need water. They DO NOT drink from open water pond or bird baths. They need puddles of very wet sand or mud. The best way to provide them food is with saucer of sand kept wet.
Make sure you find out what kind of butterflies in your area you like and plant according to the food tat they like. DO not waste your time trying to attract butterflies not found in your area. You also want to make sure you planta varity of plnts that bloom year around for themt o have food all year long.