winged wonders: Creating a thriving butterfly habitat

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BY CHRISTINA AMANO DOLAN

They’re elegant, vibrant and elusive, often vanishing as quickly as they appear—making each unexpected visit all the more memorable.

Mary Free, a Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener serving Arlington County and the city of Alexandria, has spent the past 17 years capturing the beauty of butterflies with her camera—one of her most important gardening tools.

There are 102 butterfly species that have been observed in Virginia, according to butterflyidentification.org. While Free hasn’t kept count, she has noticed a decline in the number of winged visitors to her garden.

“Habitat loss is a major factor in the decline of insect and bird populations,” Free explained. “Everyone who creates a butterfly habitat adds a steppingstone to reverse that trend by providing a place where pollinators can safely eat and reproduce, planting trees and shrubs that reduce carbon and using fewer chemicals.”

While it may seem daunting, creating a thriving butterfly habitat can be as simple as several potted plants or as expansive as acres of floras.

“The key is to provide the plant food butterflies need as both caterpillars and adults,” she noted.

Plan it out

“Where you live in Virginia, your soil type, light conditions and hardiness zone will guide your plant choices,” Free said.

She encourages sticking with native plant species, as they attract native butterflies, provide the quality food they need, adapt to local climates and conditions—conserving water and reducing chemical use—and promote biodiversity.

Adult butterflies stay close to where their larval host plants can be found, so Free suggested planting nectar and host plants together, or choosing nectar plants that double as host plants. Selecting plants that provide a succession of blooms the entire season is another good way to keep butterflies coming back to your garden.

Every butterfly species is unique, according to Clara Aus, “M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE!” exhibit coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Henrico County.

“Some species and their caterpillars feed on many different plants, and some are specialists that only need one host plant,” said Aus. She added that the cabbage white butterfly eats anything in the mustard family, while the monarch only needs milkweed.

To attract particular species, visit lewisginter.org/virginia-butterfly-garden/ to view Aus’ list of native butterflies and their host plants.

Some host plants may already be growing in your garden, like parsley, carrots, dill and fennel, which attract Eastern Black swallowtail caterpillars. Some may be in your neighborhood, like white clover and oak, wild cherry and flowering dogwood trees.

Look around to see what native host plants are nearby, and plant something different to maximize results.

Completing the habitat

Butterflies will visit nectar flowers that are shaded during part of the day if they have a basking space, so place a flat rock in a sunny spot nearby.

They need refuge from wind and rain, so plant densely, and follow minimum spacing recommendations. Protect nectar flowers with fences, along with shrubs or vines that also serve as host plants, like native spiraeas, native viburnums, New Jersey tea, purple passionflower and American wisteria.

Plant a variety of bright colors to catch butterflies’ attention, and group three or more plants of like species together.

Male butterflies need soil minerals for reproduction. Create a puddling area by placing a shallow dish at ground level, fill it with sand mixed with yard soil, and keep it damp.

“Another item you may want to add to your pollinator habitat—a bench—so that you can sit down and enjoy it,” Free said.

Important don’ts

• Don’t buy plants that have been treated with pesticides, as they can be deadly to butterfly larvae, and avoid using chemicals in and around your garden.

• Don’t plant invasives or keep them in the habitat.

• Don’t plant cultivars with double flowers, as they have little to no nectar.

• Don’t plant cultivars of native species that are not sterile.

• Don’t clear away dead flowers or foliage on or near host plants, as they may harbor butterfly eggs or feeding caterpillars.

Native nectar plants that grow in sun or partial shade

SPRING: Eastern Red columbine, wild geranium, phlox

LATE-SPRING TO MID-SUMMER (OR LATER): Blazing star, black-eyed Susans, milkweed, whorled tickseeds

MID-SUMMER INTO FALL: Joe Pye weeds, old field aster

NON-NATIVES: Parsley, purple coneflower, zinnia

For a complete list of nectar and host plants for Mid-Atlantic butterflies and moths, visit mgnv.org/pollinators-andmore/lepidoptera.