Most everyone is enchanted with butterflies as they flutter across a lawn or flower garden landscape.  However, most of us do not realize that we often destroy or harm butterflies at some point in their lifecycle.  Once we are aware of what to look for and how to encourage all phases of the butterfly lifecycle we will be rewarded with even more butterflies to grace our garden spaces.

The life cycle of a butterfly.

Eggs - Caterpillar - Chrysalis - Butterfly

Adult butterflies lay their tiny white eggs either singly or in clusters that can number up to 200 on the underside of a leaf of their favorite host plant.  The eggs usually hatch within a week.  The larvae or caterpillars are voracious feeders and many species are ready to pupate in 3 to 4 weeks.  During this process they form a chrysalis.  There are some species that over winter and hibernate as larvae and then pupate in spring.  Several pupa varieties will develop into butterflies within a few weeks while other varieties such as Swallowtails will winter as pupae.  Adult butterflies life spans vary greatly some will live only 2-3 weeks, while others can live 10 months plus.

Plan your garden around the full life cycle of a butterfly

Provide hosts plants for egg laying.  Some varieties include Alcea (Hollyhock), Ascelpias (Wild Milkweed), Aster, Chelone (Turtlehead), Lonicera (Honeysuckle), Passiflora (Passion Flower), Ruta (Rue), Viola (Violet).  Consider cherry, sassafras and tulip poplar trees as well as a spice bush shrub.  Adult butterflies select plants that emerging caterpillars will feed o for their egg laying.  Many vegetable and annual herbs such as cabbage, parsley and carrot make excellent host plants.  You have to be willing the share your bounty and not use insecticides in order to preserve your butterflies.  If you are trying to attract a certain butterfly species, find out its preferred host plants and make them available in your space.

Supply native plant vegetation  like Ascelpias (Milkweed), Aster, and Verbena for butterfly caterpillars to feed on.

Plant Nectar-bearing plants including Asclepias (Butteflyweed), Aster novaeangliae (New England Aster), Buddleia (Butterfly Bush), Caryopteris (Bluebeard), Centaurea (Cornflower), Coreopsis (Tickseed), Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William), Echinacea (Coneflower), Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed), Lonicera (Honeysuckle), Mints, Monarda (Beebalm) and Phlox paniculata, Rudbeckia (Blackeyed Susan), Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower), Solidago (Goldenrod) Verbena species for adult butterflies to feed on.