12 Plants To Attract Butterflies To Your Garden

Butterflies add visual beauty to our garden just by their presence, and also by providing pollination to our flowers and plants. This is an essential task! We’ve done a little research to help us better understand how to pique the interest of local butterflies and encourage further pollination. Flowers and some herbs are great plants to have in a garden designed to bring in butterflies. Bright colors are very attractive to these winged beauties, as well as fragrance, so herbs like lavender and thyme will definitely encourage butterflies to stop and have a snack. Here are 12 recommendations for plants that will inspire beautiful butterfly visitors AND help your garden grow!

Chrysanthemum and Petunias

Goldenrod and Zinnia

A butterfly garden is a real treat, so to encourage them to visit your humble little garden, you’ll want to offer a few things that will entice them to take a “tour”. It’s important to leave a little resting spot for butterflies, a warm rock as well as a small water source – such as a small pool left behind during watering – will encourage butterflies to stay and partake of the flowers’ sustenance. Also, be wary of pesticides and other harsh chemical products in your garden or flowerbeds; these are deterrents to butterflies, who prefer a more organic approach.

Purple Coneflowers and Liatris

Marigolds and Sunflowers

Many of these flowers are also great attractors of hummingbirds, who likewise enjoy drinking nectar from these bright blooms. These delicate winged birds and insects are beneficial to our gardens, and so too are bees; these flowers will also attract the vitally important bee population. We love the look of a well cultivated garden, but also know that there are so many more benefits when pollinators are encouraged to visit.

Verbena and Lavender

Thyme and Sage

As much as the right soil, fertilization, and cultivation are important to a successful garden, it’s also super important to bring in some natural “helpers” to really make our gardens shine. Whenever we can draw in the likes of butterflies, birds, and bees, we know that our garden will get the best of both worlds, human and winged! And while our gardens bring us visual joy, they also help to provide essential natural habitats for some very important creatures. Working together, we can not only offer a food source for our “visitors” but we can also reap the benefits of a lovely garden that will provide endless hours of enjoyment over the course of spring and summer.