Living in a home with a backyard is a wonderful thing, especially when you find ways to benefit the environment with how you landscape. There are a number of ways you can help your local environment right in your backyard. One unique way, that almost always brings more enjoyment to the homeowner, is by creating a butterfly sanctuary. Hundreds of species of butterflies are decreasing in numbers due to a loss of habitat. Here are a few ways you can build a butterfly garden and attract even more natural beauty to your yard.
What Attracts Butterflies?
Puddler Stone
A butterfly puddler stone is a basin that is made to hold mud or wet sand. The micro-environment that a puddler creates offers a mineral-rich water source to butterflies which they need to survive. This is a unique method of attracting butterflies and will not only draw them to your yard, but has potential to add decorative elements as well. Sunlight is an important component to your set up. Butterflies love to sit in a sunny spot, so be sure to place your puddler in a fairly exposed location for best results.
Create Shelter
A commonly unknown fact about butterflies is that they need shelter from the wind. This is why butterflies are so attracted to bushy plants. Bushy greenery provides great shelter from windy conditions and will undoubtedly attract butterflies as a result. Food is another drawing factor which butterflies find in flowering plants. Here are a few butterfly favorites.
Plants for Attracting Butterflies to Your Sanctuary
It is well known that butterflies love flowers. They even need flowering plants to survive. This is both for the pollen they produce, and the environment they require to lay eggs. There are plenty of guides out there for which plants to add to your garden according to which species of butterfly you would like to attract. But here are a few popular flowering plants across the board: Aster, Black-Eyed Susan, Butterfly Bush, and California Buckwheat are all sure to draw these flying friends to your garden.
For more information, contact your local landscaping company, By The Blade KC, today!
