Bring the beauty of the butterfly home with your own haven

By Kim Carmel

Arguably the world’s most beloved insect, butterflies have long enchanted people of all ages. As children, we catch them in jars and feed them flowers and blades of grass. As adults, we stop to follow each flutter of a flashy monarch alighting on a branch. Their delicate beauty seems almost hypnotic, and their brilliant transformation from humble caterpillars has inspired numerous classroom and life lessons alike.

Butterfly gardens provide a convenient staging area for viewing these showy beauties, and will undoubtedly make yours the most popular house amongst all the neighborhood’s children. A few how-to planning steps:

First, figure out which butterflies live in the area. We are blessed with an abundance. (The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s “Butterflies Alive!” exhibit boasts nearly 80 different species.) According to the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (www.npwrc. usgs.gov), we find the following families here: swallowtails, whites and sulphurs, gossamer-wing butterflies, metalmarks, brush-footed butterflies and skippers.

Next, find the ideal location. Butterflies enjoy basking in the sun, so make sure your garden sees 5-6 hours of sunlight daily, with adequate shelter from winds. Flat stones provide additional mini “sun decks,” plus add a nice bit of visual interest. Also important, provide your Lepidoptera with water—a damp mud puddle or a shallow “butterfly bath” will do.

The North American Butterfly Association (www. naba.org) offers a number of helpful free brochures online to help you get started, including Basics of Butterfly Gardening, Flowers for the Butterfly Garden, and a specific regional guide for the Santa Barbara foothills. Below is a partial list of recommended plants:

Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

Bee Balm is unsurpassed in not only attracting butterflies, but also hummingbirds. The showy flowers range from light orange to dark purple and the leaves can even be made into a soothing tea. Best sown from February to April as a second or third tier plant.

Sticky

Three to six feet in height, the citrus-colored flowers on this partial shade plant resemble mini daffodils. Sara orangetip and checkerspots can’t resist it. Monkeyflowers need well-drained soil and brown out during the later summer months.

Deerweed

Native Deerweed grow one to three feet tall, with bright yellow flowers that bloom year-round. These drought tolerant beauties attract whites, hairstreaks, blues, painted ladies and skippers.

Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) purple sage (Salvia leucophylla)

A dazzling source of color, these bright pink, white and saffron blooms infuse any yard with a feeling of the tropics. These flowers need a good deal of water and sunlight, with well-drained soil. Most popular with the western tiger swallowtail, Chinese hibiscus blooms April to September.

With soft, fragrant leaves and lavender blooms in May through July, this popular California native flourishes in sunny, dry conditions. Well-watered sage plants can spread to eight feet, so plan accordingly.

Wild Lilac (Ceanothus spp.)

One of the most beautiful and fragrant of our native species, this is one plant that will please every butterfly that happens through your garden. The dense, showy clusters of flowers range from blinding white to an almost impossible purple blue. The scent is a rich floral honey that serves its purpose just as well for those noses flitting around indoors.

Your butterfly denizen will depend upon the plants you choose, whether alien or native. Common, widely spread butterflies tend to prefer landscape nursery plants, while native blues, checkerspots, fritillaries and others will flock toward native plants. Plant a balance of nursery plants with native species and you’ll attract a wider range of butterflies.