 A garden that is full of butterflies and buzzing
with humming birds is a very pleasing place to be. If you are interested in creating
a habitat that attracts butterflies and birds to your garden the key to it is selecting
the right plants. Select perennials from the list below to start attracting more wildlife
to your garden.
Attracting butterflies to the garden:
Select a bright sunny spot for the garden
Butterflies have very good color vision and are even able to see colors
in the ultraviolet range that we can't see, however their ability to see objects at a
distance is very poor - so always plant in large groupings to help the insects find your
garden.
Keep color in the garden all season - Butterflies have rapid life cycles
and reproduce several times during the season so keep them interested in your garden by
always having plants in bloom.
Just because a plant attracts hummingbirds does not mean it will
attract butterflies. A butterflies probiscus (mouth parts) are equipped to feed on
shallow, simple flower forms. Many of the plants that Hummingbirds feed on have flowers
that are to deep for the butterfly to be able to reach the nectar. Flat or umbell
shaped flowers are best for butterflies.
 Perennials
for the butterfly garden:
Attracting hummingbirds to the garden:
- Hummingbirds primary source of nutrition is nectar form flowers
- They bathe on a regular basis so a small birdbath of shallow pool of water is essential
- Hummingbirds are drawn to colors in the red and orange family, but are not restrictive
to these colors once they find a food source that is worth visiting
- Flower shape is an important factor for the hummingbird. They are very fond of
long, tubular shaped flowers since the nectar there is harder for other animals to reach
and is usually theirs for the taking
Plants that attract hummingbirds:
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Butterfly
Bush is a must have for the butterfly garden:
Buddleia 'Black Knight'
Buddleia 'Royal Red'
Monardas are a must have for any perennial
gardener who wants to attract hummingbirds:
Monarda 'Blue Stocking'
Monarda 'Jacob Cline'
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