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Foremost Insurance sponsors the largest, live butterfly exhibit in the country, March 1 - April 30, 2008 at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan! Check out the Foremost's Butterflies are Blooming site for more information about these winged beauties. New to the exhibit in 2008 is the African Moon Moth.
 How To Create a Butterfly Garden
When planning your butterfly garden,
it is a good idea to find out which species are resident in
your area and the plants on which they are found.
It is also important to provide plants
on which the butterflies will lay their eggs and upon which
caterpillars can feed. Check Foremost's
Butterflies are Blooming site for a list of good
nectar sources and larval
plants.
Choosing
the Right Spot
A butterfly garden can range from a
large plot of land, to a 5’x10’ strip near a walkway
to a window box or a container garden.
Since butterflies tend to be more active
in the sun, large open sunny areas are an important factor
for the garden. Some protection from the wind is also necessary,
and this can be provided by planting shrubby nectar and food
plants like Buddleia, Honeysuckle, Spice Bush and Hawthorn.
A small fence, a row of shrubs, evergreen trees or even a
large rock can serve as a shelter from the wind.
Butterflies cannot drink directly from
open water so it is a good idea to create "puddles"
of moist sand or mud. Placing a few rocks or sticks in this
"puddle" allows the butterflies to perch and drink.
Rocks also provide a site where butterflies can bask to store
body heat from the sun.
A Raised-bed Butterfly Garden
A raised bed butterfly garden is simply
a raised area of soil framed by boards, logs, railroad ties,
stones, rocks, bricks or any other material you have on hand.
Since the above-ground bed heats up faster, it can be planted
sooner than in-ground gardens, has better drainage, and is
easier to maintain. If you try this popular technique for
growing plants, you'll find it uses less space, requires less
fertilizer and water, and helps eliminate soil problems.
It's fun to choose the location, design
your layout, and decide what materials you want to use. Although
your butterfly garden can be any size, the bed width should
be narrow so you can easily reach all areas. Use a shovel
to cut through the grass around the perimeter of your future
garden, then remove all the grass and weeds from the area.
Work some potting soil, compost or shredded leaves into the
loosened ground. The soil should be loose enough to feel soft
when you crumble it in your hands.
You can use countless materials for
the border or frame of the raised bed, or even prepare a temporary
raised bed garden by simply marking out the boundaries and
tilling the soil. The bed of loosened soil will remain slightly
raised above the surrounding areas. This borderless raised
bed garden gradually flattens or erodes over time, but can
be a good temporary approach.
Permanent raised beds are usually the
best way to go. You invest a little more time and money into
the construction of a frame or wall raised bed, but the finished
product controls erosion and lasts for years. Common frame
or wall materials include: rot-resistant lumber such as redwood
or cedar, treated landscape timbers, used railroad ties, bricks,
stones, concrete blocks, or even old tires. Resourceful gardeners
may be able to find these or other suitable materials at little
or no cost.
Try to lay your garden out in a rectangular
pattern, keeping the width about 4 feet so you can easily
reach the center of the bed from either side. If you decide
to use either landscape timbers, or 2" x 10" or
2" x12" boards, have the materials cut to size and
delivered by your lumber yard. Keep the boards or timbers
from falling over by nailing them to 1"x2"x20"
long decay resistant wooden stakes driven into the ground.
If you want to use rocks or stones to
build a raised bed garden, ask your kids to get in on the
action. Kids love looking around for special rocks or stones
in your own yard, neighborhood or during trips to the woods,
park or beach. The whole family can pitch in and build the
rock and stone border a little at a time. This approach also
helps kids get involved with butterfly gardening.
When the border or frame is finished
and the soil thoroughly mixed, begin planting your garden
with beautiful, colorful, annual and perennial plants that
attract butterflies. You and your kids can even use a shaker
of wildflower or butterfly flower seeds to scatter the seeds
thickly throughout the bed. When planting is completed, be
sure to apply mulch to control weeds and retain moisture.
Placement of Plantings
Placement of your plantings in the garden
should be carefully considered. Plant taller plants in the
back, mid-sized in the middle and short ones in the front.
This design works visually and keeps both the low-feeding
and high-feeding butterflies happy.
Walkway Planting
You might want to create a garden around
an existing walkway. This can be done easily by planting in
layers. Space the plants apart according to recommended spacing
requirements for optimal growth.
This type of garden is great for city
gardeners or school gardens with well-established walkways.
Kids may plant single rows of plants around their driveways
or sidewalks at home, but keep in mind that the butterflies
don’t always visit noisy or busy places.
Plant tall plants in your back row,
medium height plants in the middle area and short, border
plants in your front row.
Plot of Ground
If you have a small piece of ground
(as small as 5’x5’) you can purchase a shaker of
wildflower or butterfly flower seeds. Properly prepare the
soil and remove all clumps of sod. Good soil preparation is
well worth the effort and will result in a successful garden.
Rake the soil lightly and scatter the
flower seeds thickly through the area. Water daily and in
a few weeks you will have a beautiful garden that will attract
various types of butterflies. The best part is you don’t
have to weed it. Annual maintenance for this type of garden
requires you to replenish some of the flowers by reseeding.
Types of Plants
Butterflies are particular about the
plants they feed on. Certain butterflies are only attracted
to certain types of plants or flowers. Planting the right
plants will attract butterflies. Different species of butterflies
have different preferences of nectar, in both colors and tastes.
A wide variety of food plants will attract the greatest diversity
of visitors. Try staggering wild and cultivated plants, as
well as blooming for different times of the day and year.
Groups of the same plants will be easier for butterflies to
see than singly-planted flowers.
Determining which types of butterflies
are in your particular location will help you select which
flowers you should grow. Select plants for the adult butterflies
and the caterpillars. By growing these varieties you may encourage
the visiting butterflies to breed and lay eggs.
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