Create It

Butterflies

Create a butterfly garden

Butterflies are delicate colorful insects with a short life span that can be found all across North America and around the world. When trekking out to the wilderness isn’t an option, why not get the butterflies to come to you? Attracting butterflies to your yard is as easy as planting a few plants and flowers butterflies commonly use to feed.

It’s best to plant your garden in full sun. This is not only important for the plants, but butterflies also need sun to warm their bodies for flight. Butterflies are attracted to flowers with strong scents and bright colors, where they drink sweet, energy-rich nectar.

Nectar-producing plants will attract butterflies to your garden. In order to support a full butterfly lifecycle, host plants (for laying eggs and use as a caterpillar food source) must also be present. Check out some common butterflies in the Discover It section to learn which plants will attract your favourite butterflies.

Don't use chemical pesticides! Pesticides kill butterflies, caterpillars, and other useful insects. Instead, plant marigolds, petunias, mint, and other herbs that naturally repel pests. Encourage ladybugs and dragonflies to dine in your garden and wash pests away with insecticidal soap.

So grab a shovel and some pretty plants and let’s get digging!

What you’ll need: