When is a Butterfly is a Butterfly ...

To really enjoy butterflies to their fullest you really need to understand their life cycle. It unfolds in three stages:

• During the larva stage the butterfly is a caterpillar and it eats tender leaves. It is often associated with garden pests at this stage because it can cause considerable damage. However, each species has its lunch preferences. For example, the monarch butterfly larva eats only butterfly weed leaves.
  
  
• The chrysalis stage is when the caterpillar spins a cocoon and transforms into a butterfly. At this stage it doesn't eat anything.
  
  
• The butterfly is the adult stage. This is when it gets interesting. A butterfly lives only to reproduce. To survive it drinks flower nectar. Some species live only a few days, while others, like the monarch, undertake a long migration to Mexico for the winter.
  

If you want butterflies to share your garden, you have to create a butterfly-friendly environment, which means one that tolerates a few caterpillars. You can't have butterflies without caterpillars.

Butterflies are often considered a barometer of environmental deterioration. They are very sensitive to pesticides, so if you want to attract them into your garden, opt for non-toxic maintenance products. Ask your gardening expert for details.

Don't forget that not only are butterflies beautiful, they are also very useful. They represent an important link in the food chain for birds. 

Landscaping to Attract Butterflies  

• Choose a sunny location, protected from the wind by trees, shrubs, or a mass of flowers.
  
  
• Make sure you have a variety of shrubs that will produce nectar for the butterflies and leaves for the caterpillars.
  
  
• Plant nectar-producing flowers in a half circle, 1.5 to 2 m deep, so that the taller plants are in the back.
  
  
• Distribute your colours starting with the darker colours on the sides and work the lighter colours towards the centre. Scatter in a few contrasting plants to liven up the scene.
  

Nectar-Producing Plants That Butterflies Love 

Shrubs: Butterfly bush, Lilac, Spirea.

Perennials: Aster, Bee balm, Common yarrow, Daisy, Eupatorium, Garden phlox, Golden rod, Lavender, Milkweed, Mint, Purple coneflower, Black-eyed Susans, Sedum.

Annuals: Bachelor's button, Borage, Cosmos, Lantana, Marigold, Nicotiana, Petunia , Sunflower, Zinnia. 

A butterfly bath 

Set up a butterfly bath. You can use a birdbath with sand in the bottom and just a little bit of water so that the butterflies don't drown. Make sure the sand is always damp. 

Butterflies invariably add a note of gaiety to every garden. Attracting them to yours will add to the pleasures of horticulture!