Butterflies are fascinating and interesting creatures; people of all ages can often be seen watching as a butterfly floats and flaps a seemingly random course from one object or flower to another.  If you have a garden, butterflies can make a beautiful and colorful complement to the flowers you cultivate.  They also provide lots of fun for kids, as well as something great for you to watch as you sit having your tea or coffee in the morning.

To make your garden "butterfly friendly”, you can do a number of things.  The first rule of attracting butterflies is to remember that they are insects.  This means you should avoid using chemical insecticides, which could have the unwanted effect of killing the very butterflies you are trying to bring into your garden.  Instead, you can spray any unwanted insects on your flowers and plants with a solution of dish soap and water.

Do not leave any of this mixture in open containers, however, because butterflies often try to drink from standing water.  You should place several containers of water throughout your garden for your butterflies to enjoy.  The type of plants you grow can have a tremendous effect on how many butterflies you will be able to attract.

Butterflies enjoy sipping nectar from flowers, so you should choose flowers with long stamens to help them eat.  As more and more butterflies visit, your garden you should see increased growth; butterflies pollinate flowers by transferring pollen clinging to their legs from flower to flower.  Here are a few flowers that may help you attract butterflies:

-          Black-eyed Susan

-          Goldenrod

-          Yarrow

-          Marigold

-          Flowering Tobacco

-          Zinnia