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Richtersius Coronifer
April 26, 2016 at 8:23 am -
It’s always a good idea to go native when trying to attract butterflies. Get native flowers for your region (in the US: native asters, goldenrods, mountain mints, bee balms etc) and also host plants for caterpillars. The hosts will get chewed up, so you may want to tuck them away in a sunny corner. Host species depend on the type of butterflies native to your region.
Also, if you don’t like the looks of common milkweed, there are many other species that may be native to your region. Where I am in the notheast there are 6 or more species. Having different milkweeds also support butterflies over the whole season, since they bloom and produce new leaves in different months.
It’s always a good idea to go native when trying to attract butterflies. Get native flowers for your region (in the US: native asters, goldenrods, mountain mints, bee balms etc) and also host plants for caterpillars. The hosts will get chewed up, so you may want to tuck them away in a sunny corner. Host species depend on the type of butterflies native to your region.
Also, if you don’t like the looks of common milkweed, there are many other species that may be native to your region. Where I am in the notheast there are 6 or more species. Having different milkweeds also support butterflies over the whole season, since they bloom and produce new leaves in different months.