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| Butterflies and hummingbirds add interest and color to your garden. They can provide great entertainment even as they work for you as pollinators of plants. Attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden requires creating a habitat that provides plants for food and host plants for reproduction. Below are more detailed instructions. |
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| GardenToad has created a Flash movie tutorial which you can watch (as many times as you like) to get information on creating such a habitat. The movie runs about 6 minutes. | |
 Take me to the movie You can also print out the more detailed instructions below: |
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| GardenToad's Tutorial on Creating a Haven for Butterflies & Hummingbirds In general, look for nectar-producing plants that bloom in the late spring and throughout the summer. These are times when most butterflies are active. Shrubs and trees provide a windbreak and creates sheltered areas where you can plant your butterfly garden. For your safety and to prevent killing off desirable garden visitors, like butterflies and hummingbirds, don't use pesticides in your garden. If you need help in selecting plants, ask your local nurseryman or woman. The following plants attract these colorful visitors. ANNUALS: Ageratum, Boneset, Cosmos, Datura, Foxglove, Hibiscus (annual in most areas), Impatiens, Marigold, Mexican sunflower, Morning Glory, Nasturtium, Nicotiana, Penta, Petunia, Salvia, Snapdragon, Sunflower, Sweet Alyssum, Sweet William, Thistle, Trumpet vine, Verbena, Zinnia. PERENNIALS: Abelia, Acanthus, Allium, Aster, Azalea, Butterfly bush, Candytuft, Cardinal flower, Cleome, Columbine, Coneflower, Coral bells, Coreopsis, Chrysanthemum, Daisy, Daylily, Delphinium, Fuchsia, Heliotrope (annual in some areas), Hollyhock, Honeysuckle, Indigo spires, Justicia, Lantana, Leucantha, Lilac, Mallow, Mexican Flame, Milkweed, Mimosa, Monarda, Most fruit trees, Passionvine, Phlox, Privet, Salvias, Sedum, Spicebush, Spider lily, Spirea, Sumac, Redbud, Red hot poker, Rose of Sharon, Rosemary, Violet, Vitex, Willow, Wisteria, Yarrow. Female butterflies look for specific plants on which they will lay their eggs. For example monarch and queen butterflies look for milkweed, which is their "host" plant. Viceroys prefer pussy willows or plum trees, while clover attracts Sulphurs and some Blues. HOST PLANTS: Here's a list of some popular host plants, where butterflies lay their eggs: Bee balm, Birch trees, Black eyed-Susan, Dogwood trees, Elm trees, Clover, Coneflower, Coreopsis, Goldenrod, Ironweed, Joe-Pye weed, Hackberry trees, Lantana, Marigold, Mesquite trees, Mexican sunflower, Milkweed, Nettles, New England Aster, Oak trees, Phlox, Pincushion flower, Pine trees, Poplar trees, Sedum, Sweet William, Thistles, Verbena, Wisteria, Willow trees, Yucca, Zinnia. Once the eggs hatch, the resulting caterpillars will begin eating the host plant's leaves. So if you want butterflies, you'll have to accept plant leaves with holes. Just remember caterpillars soon turn into butterflies! In general, both butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to gardens with masses of brightly-colored flowers that contain lots of rich nectar. Nectar provides energy for flying and mating. A bonus for the gardener is that these creatures also act as pollinators as they fly from plant to plant. So they're more than good-looking, they're working for you. In addition to providing the right plants, you'll need to provide areas where butterflies can bask. Butterflies are cold-blooded creatures and need to get warmth from the sun-so they find a congenial spot, alight and soak up some rays. Usually, they will spread their wings flat while facing the sun. A large flat rock may be an ideal basking spot for butterflies. Butterflies also puddle. Puddling involves congregating in wet garden spots where the butterflies drink up soil fluids that contain essential salts and nutrients. These nutrients are needed for reproduction. So your butterfly garden should contain a mud puddle of some sort. HUMMINGBIRDS: Now let's consider another lovely garden visitor--hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are migrants, and visit North America during the warmer months of the year. Because different areas warm up at different times, you will need to determine when "hummers" are likely to be in your area. Your local extension agent can probably help. While feeders do attract hummingbirds, flowers, with their natural nectar, are more effective. So plant hummingbird favorites and watch them visit and lap up the sweet nectar. Hummingbirds are attracted to red flowers, but they will eat just as readily and greedily from flowers of other colors-as long as the flowers contain nectar. Did you know that one hummingbird can visit up to 1,000 flowers in one day. By the way, hummingbirds also eat insects and tree sap. Fascinating Hummingbird Facts:
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When you see butterflies zooming upward next to each other, they are either males fighting over terrritory, or males courting females. 
Some butterflies enjoy eating rotted fruit. Mushy bananas are a favorite. You can use an old bird feeder for this purpose.