In order to attract butterflies to your garden, plant selection is very important. You will want to plant both nectar sources and larval food plants. Nectar plants are common flowering plants. Butterflies obtain most of their food from these. When planting nectar sources it is important to consider when they will be flowering and to plan on having nectar sources available throughout the growing season. You may also want to minimize your use of hybrid garden plants such as roses, lilies and geraniums as they have almost no nectar. You can choose from both annual and perennial species, as well as shrubs and wildflowers.
The best way to ensure frequent butterfly visitors is to plant a diverse garden with a wide variety of nectar sources from herbs, grasses, wildflowers, annuals, perennials and shrubs. If you intend to attract a more permanent population of butterflies you will also want to include some larval food plants in your garden. Common larval foods are vegetables that you may already have growing in your garden.
