Lepidoptera (Butterflies):
Some common butterflies of Minnesota and their caterpillar food
plant are listed below.
- Monarch butterfly
- Common milkweed, swamp milkweed
- Spicebush
swallowtail - Spicebush, Sassafrass
- Pipevine
swallowtail - Dutchman's pipevine
- Cloudless sulfur
butterflies - Wild Senna
- Viceroy -
Willows, apple , plums & cherries
- Cabbage
White - Garden Nasturtium, Cabbage
- Buckeye
- Snapdragon (Antirrhinum spp.) Verbena (Verbenaceae)
- Tiger swallowtail
- Wild cherry, tulip tree '
- Black swallowtail
- Apiaceae family (carrot, dill, parsley, Queen
Anne's lace, fennel)
Create a Butterfly Garden
Learning about butterflies is exciting.
There are numerous books on the identification, life cycle,
and behavior of butterflies and the locations and plants preferred
by lepidopterans (butterflies). While reading provides valuable
information, butterflies are best discovered in a garden or
field of wildflowers.
All it takes is one chance planting of a
species favored by butterflies to hook a gardener on a lifetime
of planning to attract the lovely creatures. A few butterflies
flitting from plant to plant can be the strokes that complete
the perfect garden picture. It is so simple and rewarding to
attract them that no garden should be without a few.
Create your own butterfly garden to attract
butterflies into your yard. All you need is a sunny place to
plant flowers and other plants to attract
butterflies. There are some plants that butterflies will drink
nectar from and breed on, such as milkweed, which is also the
main food plant for the
caterpillars of the Monarch.
Adult butterflies are attracted to a number
of nectar producing plants. They favor plants that have large
petals to provide a perch, though multiple small florets work
as well. Purple flowers seem to be most attractive to butterflies,
followed by yellows, pinks, and whites. Avoid double flowers,
many of which are low in nectar supplies. Butterflies are sun-loving
insects, so choose a site in full sun for the butterfly garden.
Avoid spraying any insecticides in a butterfly garden, and encourage
neighbors to limit their use of insecticides, as well.
These are some of the plants that will attract
butterflys to your garden; Passion Flower, Parsley,
Butterfly Bush, Butterfly Weed, Anise, Mint
Clover, Lantana, Queen-Anne's Lace, Aster,
Dandelion, Daisy
Thistle, or Carrot .
There are many more, probably some plants
that are already growing in your yard. So consider planting
a butterfly garden this summer, and
realize the beauty of butterflies.
Remember: There are two kinds
of plants that you need to consider when planning your butterfly
garden: Food plants for catepillars, and
Nectar producing plants for the adult butterflies.
When selecting flowering plants, keep in mind that purple,
pink, white and yellow flowers are preferred by butterflies.
Also, most butterfly flowers are full sun plants. Your
butterfly garden should receive full sun for about 5 to
6 hours each day. Finally, plant your plants in
groups of one color, rather than single plants of different
colors.
Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)
and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) are named for
their ability to attract butterflies. Other popular nectar plants
include marigold, primrose, sedum, dandelion, goldenrod, aster,
yarrow, honeysuckle, viburnum, lilac, and zinnia.
More adult butterflies will visit the garden
if provided with food plants for the caterpillar, or larval,
stage of the insect. Caterpillar damage to vegetables and flowers
is not a concern; many attractive butterflies prefer plants
that are usually considered weeds for larval food. Often, caterpillars
will feed on only one species, so take care to provide the correct
larval food for the desired species. If the unkempt appearance
of a bed of milkweed and nettles (demanded by larval monarchs)
doesn't sound appealing, plant to grow the caterpillar border
in an out-of-the-way corner of the yard or interplant some dazzling
annuals to feed the adults and draw attention away from the
less attractive plants.
