How To Make A Butterfly Garden? 5 Things You Ought To Know

Do you have a garden already? Why not make it a butterfly garden!

This will increase its beauty while also aiding in the conservation of butterflies.

Fortunately, it’s very easy.

In this video, we’ll discuss how you can make a butterfly garden in your own backyard.

Disclaimer: we are not lawyers, accountants, or financial advisors, and the information in this video is for informational purposes only. This video is based on our own research and experience and, while we do our best to keep it accurate and up-to-date, but it may contain errors. Please be sure to consult a legal or financial professional before making any investment or purchasing decisions.
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Video Transcript:
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Hi guys this is Erika from Gokce Capital. Now before I begin, be sure to click subscribe and turn on the notification bell. If you were to walk on a cold January morning in the town of Pacific Grove you may wonder why there are still leaves on the trees.

That is until you looked closer and saw the leaves were actually hundreds of butterflies but more on the disappearing monarch later. But first, if you love butterflies you may want to plant a butterfly garden. In today's video, we have the top things you should know.

Number one, how do you create a butterfly garden? Well, first you make a plan. Find out which species of butterflies are in your area and which ones you want to attract.

Then select a site. It will need to have at least five to six hours of full sunlight each day as well as shelter and water and be free from pesticides. Step three is to know your soil. We recommend using compost to boost the soil structure and add nutrients.

After that, you can select your plans which leads to number two. What flowers attract butterflies? Butterflies need both nectar and food.

So you'll want a mixture of a few different kinds of plants including perennials which are the traditional brightly colored plants with shallow blossoms. You see in butterfly gardens. Some examples include milkweed, coneflowers, and asters. You'll also want flowering shrubs such as sweet spire and elderberry and then nectar-rich flowers which should be planted in groups instead of separately.

Some examples include petunias, cosmos, and lantana. In general, it's a good idea to focus on native plants as these will likely work well for the local butterfly species in your region but you'll also want to speak with a local nursery to understand the preferences of your local species. Number three having said all of this.

Don't forget to also plant flowers that serve as food. Sources for caterpillars. Here are some of the best flowers you can plant to support butterflies in various stages. Aster flowers are great for the pearl crescent butterfly, butterfly weed which along with milkweed offers monarch butterflies a critical food source.

The passionflower is great for the zebra long-winged butterfly which is most often found in Florida and Texas. Sweet peas attract Eastern-tailed blue to gardens in the Eastern half of the U.S. violets and thistle but again be sure to research the preferences of the butterflies you seek to attract. Number four, how should flowers be planted in a butterfly garden?

A butterfly garden is not necessarily a neat and tidy-looking garden. Each butterfly species fills a specific niche and tends to focus on flowers at certain heights to attract more butterflies. You'll want a variety of heights and flower types and number five.

How do you maintain your butterfly garden? One of the best things you can do is keep it pesticide free. Even organic pest control options can harm.

You'll also want to pay attention to your local butterflies' population cycles. It's not enough to plant the plants that they thrive on. You'll also need to make sure that the plant's growth cycle aligns with the butterfly's reproductive cycle.

So for example, if you're trying to attract Monarchs you may want to mow or cut milkweed and other host plants before the reproduction period and if you use tropical milkweed instead of a native one it's a good idea to cut it in the fall. So that covers the basics of starting a butterfly garden but at this point, you may be wondering why to create one in the first place? Well aside from the fact that butterflies are beautiful, they're also disappearing which brings me back to the town of Pacific Grove California.

[debjustdeb]

Excellent and much needed video. Thank you!

[theruleoffire]

You totally read my mind. Making one if these has been on my mind. Thank you.

[vickithomas]

Absolutely beautiful by far my best video ever. Living in San Diego I've had the opportunity to watch the butterflies migrate from Mexico .I also saw one be born from a caterpillar to a butterfly born black and white and fluttered off the protection layer to get its colors about 14 days just got some milkweed and sweet pea seeds.

[The_Missus]

Compost, compost, compost!
When we were making our own compost, we were practically swarmed with butterflies!