Attracting butterflies can be easily be accomplished by using native plants. In my midwest location some of the best plants are Coreopsis, Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) and Echinacae (Coneflower). Also planting parsley in the spring feeds the emerging caterpillars. I recently planted a butterfly/bee garden at a local school, that will be used as a teaching garden.
My Jr. Master Gardeners and Girl Scouts helped plant the garden. It was a wonderful experience. If you garden with children, planting a butterfly garden will give you a chance to teach the children about these marvelous little creatures, and explain how they go from caterpillars to beautiful butterflies.
By Lilly M from NW Michigan
Beautiful orange and black Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed as a home for their larvae. This is a page about how gardeners can help Monarch butterflies.
Butterflies just love flowers. That's their drinking fountain full of the nectar they feed on. So be sure and plant flowers in your garden if you want them to come visit.