Butterflies are beautiful, delicate creatures that bring a sense of joy and wonder to any garden. To attract these lovely insects to your outdoor space, you need to provide them with the right type of plants.
Here are 9 butterfly attractant plants proven to work wonders:
1. Ixora
Botanical Name: Ixora
Ixora attracts butterflies because they like the smell of the flowers. The best way to attract them is to plant them in a sunny location where they can grow easily.
2. Butterfly Bush
Botanical Name: Buddleja
The butterfly bush is one of the most popular ornamental shrubs for gardens worldwide. This deciduous plant grows up to 15 feet tall and produces clusters of yellow-white flowers throughout the summer months. Butterfly bushes are easy to grow and thrive in many different types of climates.
They do best in full sun but can handle some shade. In fact, the foliage actually looks better under light shade. To keep your butterfly bush looking healthy and attractive, you'll want to prune it regularly. Pruning helps reduce the growth of suckers, which can spread outwards and take over your entire plant. You can cut off branches that look weak or damaged. If you notice brown spots on leaves, you can trim those away too.
Sunflower
Botanical Name: Helianthus
Sunflowers are one of the best plants for attracting butterflies. They grow quickly, bloom early, and attract a wide variety of species. The flowers also provide nectar for honeybees, which helps pollinate them.
Butterfly Milkweed
Botanical Name: Asclepias curassavica
The flowers of Asclepias are known as butterfly weed because the shape of the petals resembles a winged insect. These plants grow wild throughout North America and some parts of South America. They prefer sunny areas where there is plenty of water and nutrients.
Cosmos
Botanical Name: Cosmos
The cosmos is one of the easiest plants to grow indoors. These plants require little attention and produce beautiful flowers throughout the year. A single cosmos plant can provide you with several dozen blooms throughout a season.
Blue porter weed
Botanical Name: Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
It is an important nectar plant. The purple-blue flowers attract many varieties of butterflies.
Lavender
Botanical Name: Lavandula
Lavender is an amazing flower. It attracts butterflies to your yard. Lavender is a great addition to any garden or landscape. Lavender is easy to grow and can attract butterflies to your yard.
Chrysanthemum
Botanical Name: Chrysanthemum
There are many different varieties of Chrysanthemum available. Some types of chrysanthemums are grown for their flowers, while others are used for cuttings. If you want to plant a garden, choose one that blooms early in the season and produces lots of buds.
Crotalaria
Botanical Name: Crotalaria retusa
The caterpillars feed on the leaves of the plant, which contain toxic chemicals called cardenolides. These toxins cause butterflies to lay eggs that hatch into larvae that eat the leaves of the plants. When the larva consumes these leaves, they produce a substance that attracts other insects, such as ants, wasps, flies, beetles, and birds.
Next step
Gardener services
Landscaping services
Online nursery
Organic pesticides and fertilizers
Extra reading
Flowers that Thrive in Poor Soil
Best outdoor plants for home in India
Happy Gardening!
Dr. Vandana K.