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| We took Monarchs for granted when milkweed was abundant. |
Mosquito spraying is very effective against ladybugs and butterflies, but people can still build a butterfly garden and enjoy the results.
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| Joe Pye Weed kept topping the lists for fun plants to grow, so I started two and they were pollinator convention centers in bloom all summer. Butterflies love Joe Pye. |
The first requirement is the sunniest place in the yard. That is also the least viewed area for us, so it was also ignored. I had a marvelous crop of crabgrass, actually a grain brought over by thoughtless Europeans. Then I tried a straw-bail garden, which proved to be a holiday resort for slugs, with this formula - start with straw and soak with water. That combination gives them all the food, water, and housing they need to conquer the area.
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| Almost Eden sold me two Clethra bushes, and now they are well established. Tiny flowers bring big results, and they are aromatic - songbirds like them as well. |
So I turned over a new leaf and dedicated the area to butterflies. The following are great butterfly plants:
- Joe Pye Weed, which can be six feet tall or the shorter variety, Little Joe. Butteflies always congregation around the blossoms.
- Clethra - aka Summersweet aka Pepperbush - known for attracting all pollinators and butterflies.
- Milkweed and Butterfly Weed are for Monarch butterflies.
- Borage is unusually easy to grow, just scatter the seed. It grows flowers and drops seed all summer.
- Hollyhocks are associated with old-fashioned gardens, perhaps because they stand out against a building and seed themselves.
- Parsley brings Black Swallowtail butterflies.
- And more - such as zinnias, lupine, etc.
I have a small sunny area, so I am going to fill it with Joe Pye - already established - and Clethra, mints, borage.
The rose garden is leavened with various pollinator plants - mints, Joe Pye, and daisies. I can add more in the future.
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| Borage is the tiny version of its cousin Comfrey, and so easy to grow. Tis another butterfly plant. |
