Backyard Activities Articles
More About Butterly Gardening
When creating a butterfly garden, the possibilities of what
to include in your butterfly garden design are endless. Below
are some suggestions to help get you started. They are designed
to spark the creative process of your mind and get you started
on your way to creating a lovely butterfly garden.
Before you even begin your butterfly garden, find out which
species of butterflies are in your area. Consider taking an
exploratory hike around your location with a butterfly
identification book. This may take a little extra time and
effort, but the results will be worth it. After you have
compiled your list of local butterfly species, be sure to write
down in your butterfly garden plan what these particular
species of butterflies use for nectar and food plants.
Be sure that your garden is in a location that provides at
least six hours of sunlight per day. Butterflies are
cold-blooded creatures and therefore do better where they are
warm and sheltered.
Wind can be a butterfly's worst enemy so be sure to have
plenty of wind protection in your design. You can plant tall
shrubs and other plants in order to create a wind break, but a
location that avoids heavy winds is even better.
The best of all would be a butterfly garden placed on the
sunny side of your home with windbreaks on both the west and
east sides, or wherever the prevailing wonds come from in your
area. Try and locate your garden close to a window so you can
view the butterflies from indoors. Provide seating outside
too.
If possible, you could excavate an area and build a stone
wall around it. This would create the ideal windbreak for your
butterflies. Mmake gravel pathways around your garden to save
walking in mud.
There are many creative ways for constructing a butterfly
garden. Take your time to design a garden that you will enjoy
and be proud of.
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