Nectar Plants for Monarch Butterflies
Choosing Plants Now that the prep work is done , it ’ s time to decide which beautiful blooms you want to incorporate into your garden . Your choice will depend on which types of butterflies you want to attract . Be sure to include plants that butterfly larvae will feed on , as well as nectar-producing plants . If you would like to attract Monarch butterflies , you will need to plant milkweed along with nectar plants , as Monarch caterpillars only feed on milkweed . Other ideal options for feeding butterfly larvae include dill , fennel , parsley , passion vine , and even some trees , such as willows . To determine what various butterfly larvae enjoy feeding on . There is a wide variety of nectar plants you could incorporate , but it ’ s always best to go with plants that are native to your area . Some popular butterfly garden plants include greggs salvia , purple coneflower , phlox , plains zinnia , rock rose , and coreopsis . Most plants with bright , attractive flowers will fall into the category of nectar-producing plants .
Blue Cardinals Blood Flowers Butterfly Weed Milkweed
Mist Flower Oriental Lilies Mustard Greens Tithonia
Additional Elements
Aside from pretty flowers , no butterfly garden is complete without some additional elements that allow your butterflies to prosper . Butterflies need a place to dry their wings after it rains , and you can provide them this element by incorporating rocks into your garden . Rocks are an affordable and aesthetically pleasing option , and the butterflies will appreciate having a surface to sit on when they aren ’ t collecting pollen . Butterflies also need drinking water , as they cannot drink from open water sources like streams or rivers . These pollinators will appreciate an element with some type of perch where they can land and drink water . A birdbath is a great option for providing them sitting room and fresh water , and it looks beautiful in your garden as well . Now that you ’ ve planned your space and picked out your plants and other elements , the last step is to add it all together ! A final tip would be to mulch your plants with about 3 inches of mulch once everything is in place . This will help prevent weed seeds from germinating near your garden , and will also help retain moisture in your soil . Planting a butterfly garden is an easy project to spruce up your landscape and also extremely beneficial to the ecosystem and pollinators . The butterflies will thank you !
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