Yesterday, we provided some tips on attracting songbirds to your property, but you might also be interested in bringing butterflies to your yard!
Plant clumps of native flowers and a wide array of colorful flowers that will attract butterflies and choose plants that bloom throughout the season. Milkweed, asters, yarrow, goldenrod, and sedum are a few great plants to attract butterflies. Beyond just flowers, add host plants to your garden that serve as food for caterpillars. Milkweed plants are especially important since monarch caterpillars rely exclusively on milkweed as a food source. Try planting an abundance of milkweed to aid monarch butterflies, and opt for native varieties of milkweed whenever possible.
Beautiful butterflies love beautiful flowers… but did you know that some of them also love to eat rotten fruit? It sounds gross, but now you won’t have to waste your old or unused fruit – set it outside to attract butterflies! Choose ripe, juicy fruits (berries, watermelon, bananas, etc.), which are easier for the butterflies to eat.
Find more tips for attracting butterflies in these handy field guides:
Butterflies and Skippers of Ohio: http://ow.ly/VuJP30eGlkk
Milkweed and Monarchs: http://ow.ly/OcKb30oL8gi