By Lynne Mclain
Roger Williams Park Zoo Manager of Interpretation and Graphics
Spring is here! A butterfly garden is a great first garden project for children. By planting your garden now, you will see the benefits throughout spring, summer and fall. They can be as simple or complex as you want. A well designed garden needs relatively little upkeep.
In order to best attract butterflies both host plants, for egg-laying and caterpillar food, as well as nectar plants, for adult food, should be planted. Man-made pesticides should be avoided as they can harm the butterflies that you are trying to attract. Natural pest deterrents, such as crushed egg shells spread around the base of plants to ward off slugs, and natural fertilizers, such as compost or manure, are safe and effective means of caring for the plants. Mulching is a great way to provide water retention & inhibit weed growth.
Creating your Butterfly Garden
- Pick a sunny spot and prepare the soil by turning and aerating it with a pitchfork. You may want to add nutrients to your soil by using natural compost or manure.
- Cone Flower, Pentas, Milkweed and Butterfly Bush are good combination of plants for a butterfly garden. A mix of nectar and host plants will increase the attractiveness of your garden for butterflies.
- Holes for the plants should be twice the diameter of the root ball. Gently loosen the root ball and place plants in the holes. Fill in with loose soil and water.
- Different butterfly species will come to your garden at different times of the year. You may see Monarchs, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails or Spicebush Swallowtails to name a few. As you continue to water and care for your garden, each year you should attract more butterflies.
Once your garden is planted the fun isn’t over! Keep interest alive by having your children care for the garden (including watering – the best part!) and by keeping a nature journal, either worded or pictorial, recording the butterflies that stop in your garden.
For more information on this fun family activity, you can consult our Flutterby: Butterflies in Bloom web pages. In addition, Peterson Field Guide to Butterflies and Moths is a good resource to help with the identification of the garden visitors.
