This year I saw a big uptick of Monarchs, along with many other types of butterflies in my garden. The most promising thing is the many Monarch caterpillars that I see happily munching on my plants.
I don’t begrudge them.
The garden has lots of Milkweed in it ( grown just for Danaus plexippus), but surprisingly the plants that the larvae most love seem to be Ruta graveolens, or better known as “Rue”.
Full grown butterflies absolutely love the butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa and “Butterfly Bush“, which I also grow, but the caterpillars don’t noticeably feed on them. That surprised me.
Other Plants They Visit In My Garden
- Autumn clematis
- Sedum spectabile
- Bronze Fennel
- Asters
This is the the first in a number of years that I have seen promising numbers of butterflies, particularly of the Monarchs. I am glad of it, but must say that it is still not even near the many crowds of them that I would see in earlier years at this time of the season.
The hopeful thing is simply that the numbers are noticeably increasing in my own garden- which has its challenges from surrounding farmland that is often sprayed.
How I Help Butterflies
- Plantings that they love
- No spraying ever
- Small areas of water (like a birdbath and indented rocks)
One thing I started in recent years has been “meadow areas”. This is easy because as an aging gardener I can no longer give the flower beds the upkeep I once did. I have wildlife supportive plantings of prairie denizens and weedy things like goldenrod and milkweed (real milkweed, Asclepias syriaca).
I am not bragging about that… it is just a fact of life. I do like the meadow section with its Echinacea and a bit of Monarda. I would actually like less Goldenrod there. The ornamental grasses did not thrive there, but it has been a feature that has been experimentally successful I think. And good for insect life.
If you would like a list of plants and some tips on encouraging butterflies in your garden I have written an article for you to read.
Butterflies are one of the main reasons why I garden! I just released my second monarch butterfly today, and I was thrilled beyond measure. I will certainly try that again next year!
That is thrilling indeed. Always loved butterflies in the garden, too, but now they are precious rarities it seems. As a kid I used to catch, mount and collect them… seems horrible to me now, but they were so much more numerous then.