Attracting butterflies is a simple process. You need to have:
- A sunny location (at least 4 – 6 hours per day),
- A variety of native plants that provide nectar from spring to fall
- Native plants that are larval food for butterflies (for example, Milkweed plants for Monarchs, Pearly Everlasting plants for American Painted Lady)
- Roosting shelters (areas where butterflies can perch/roost, such as trees or shrubs)
Plants:
Our Pods have over 30 different species of native plants, 8 species of native shrubs and 4 milkweed species (common, swamp, whorled and butterfly flower) from our partnered grower:
Grange Hollow Gardens and Nursery.
The following table shows the variety of plants used in our Pods.
Common Plant Name | Scientific Plant Name |
Butterfly Gaura | Gaura lindheimeri |
Great Lobelia | Lobelia siphilitica |
Cardinal Flower | Lobelia cardinalis |
Blue Vervain | Verbena hastata |
Early Meadow Rue | Thalictrum dioicum |
Turtlehead | Chelone glabra |
Purple Coneflower | Echinacea purpurea |
Gray-headed Coneflower | Ratibida pinnata |
Black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta |
Wild Bergamot | Monarda fistulosa |
Bee Balm | Monarda didyma |
Boneset | Eupatorium perfoliatum |
Butterfly Bush | Buddleia davidii |
Coreopsis | Coreopsis lanceolata |
Wild Columbine | Aquilegia canadensis |
Showy Goldenrod | Solidago speciosa |
Spotted Joe Pye Weed | Eutrochium maculatum |
Little Joe Pye Weed | Eupatorium dubium |
New England Aster | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae |
Primrose, Common Evening | Oenothera biennis |
Showy Blanket Flower | Gaillardia pulchella |
Cylindric Blazing Star | Liatris cylindracea |
Spiked Blazing Star | Liatris spicata |
Hairy Beardtongue | Penstemon hirsutus |
Foxglove Beardtongue | Penstemon digitalis |
Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca |
Butterfly Milkweed | Asclepias tuberosa |
Swamp Milkweed | Asclepias incarnata |
Pearly Everlasting | Anaphalis margaritacea |
Anise Hysop | Agastache foeniculum |
Moving forward, Butterfly Gardens of Saugeen Shores envisions the plants self seeding and spreading in a natural process to naturally blend in with the surrounding habitat of plant life.
Monarch Waystations:
Monarch Waystations are registered and certified Monarch butterfly gardens. Our goal from the outset was to have each of our gardens certified. A waystation is a Monarch Butterfly friendly garden that creates a habitat for Monarchs to have milkweed plants for its larvae and nectar rich plants for adults.