Bushes For Butterflies
Butter fly gardens are important to help conserve the habitat of butterflies due to the development of roads and housing, causing the loss of many wild flowers and wet lands needed for butterflies to survive.
Different butterflies prefer different nectar both in color and flavor. Planting a variety of plants will give butterflies the greatest diversity. Stagger wild flowers along with cultivated plants, plant for different blooming times of the day and of the year. Plant in groups making it easier for butterflies to see.
You also can attract butterflies to your yard buy offering female butterflies a place to laytheir eggs. Some female butterflies are more fussy about what plant they will lay their eggs than others.
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After the caterpillars come out you will notice some are hairy or have a forked spine, that may or may not sting, most of the time the hair is just for show. So just in case it is wise to wear gloves if you need to handle the caterpillars, This may need to be done if you notice the caterpillars are eating excessive foliage from a prominent part of the plant. You can then move them to the rear or less noticeable portion of the plant.
Butterflies are cold blooded and cannot regulate their body temperature, butterflies will bask in sunlight when it is warm out, and very few will be seen on a cool cloudy day. Leave and open space with flat stones for butterflies to warm themselves. Also have partly shaded areas as trees and shrubs so they can hide on cool and cloudy days.
Butterflies like small puddles, the males will congregate at small rain pools. You can
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supply small permanent puddles by burying a small bucket to the rim and filling it with sand and small pebbles, then pouring in liquids as soda, cool-aid, or just plan water. They also will be attracted to over ripe fruit that is allowed to sit out a few days.
Adult butterflies feed throw a coiled tube which straightens out when blood is forced into the tube allowing butterflies to feed on liquids, they take all their food throw this tube limiting them to nectar and standing water. Butterflies have large rounded compound eyes which allows them to see in all directions with out turning their heads, they are near sighted which makes them more attracted to large stands of flowers than single flowers. They don't see red very well but see polarized light as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides them to the nectar.
