I'm excited to start building a butterfly garden in my backyard! Space is somewhat limited, but I want to make the best use of it. I'm located in New York and trying to include a variety of both nectar plants and host plants. So far, I've got cosmos flowers, Mexican sunflowers (tithonia), fennel, dill, cilantro, dahlias, bee balm, sunflowers, and swamp milkweed. I'm also keen on attracting larger moths. Are there any other plants you would recommend? Thanks a lot!
4 Answers
You have a solid selection there! I'd highly recommend including some native Solidago and Symphyotrichum species. They’re great for hosting caterpillars, which helps support the whole lifecycle of butterflies. Liatris is another fantastic butterfly attractor if you're looking to amp up your garden!
Zinnias are a classic choice for attracting butterflies! They’re colorful and do a great job bringing in the little guys. Plus, they’re easy to grow, so definitely add those to your mix!
Don't forget to create a pebble water tray for the butterflies! They really need that for hydration. You could add some natural mosquito repellents around it to keep the bugs at bay!
If you're looking to attract moths, consider planting moon vine from seeds. It blooms at night and produces these gigantic trumpet flowers that smell amazing! Just remember to soak the seeds before planting and try to plant multiple since not all of them will germinate. My coreopsis flowers are also magnets for butterflies!
Thank you!
Is there a way to do that while still avoiding mosquitos?