View full sizeA swallowtail butterfly in Southwest Portland seeks out some nectar.Want to attract butterflies to your backyard -- and help support these delicate beauties that help pollinate our plants? Here's how:
Grow nectar and host plants:
Plant flowers with staggered blooming periods to attract butterflies through the season. Caterpillars eat the leaves of certain plants -- milkweed for monarchs, snapdragons for buckeyes, clover for blues. For more on which plants to use, check this
. Bosky Dell Natives nursery in West Linn lists
Sun lovers:
Butterflies must be warm to fly -- about 85 to 100 degrees. When the air is cooler, they bask in the sun to warm up. Eggs and caterpillars develop more rapidly in sunny spots.
Mud puddle:
Sodium and other minerals concentrate where water regularly accumulates and evaporates. Butterflies gather at these puddles for the minerals. Create a puddling area in your yard by regularly watering exposed dirt.
Give them shelter:
Especially in spring and fall, protected areas help butterflies heat up to flying temperature. Butterfly boxes are a possible haven from rain or wind, and may provide a hibernation location.
Avoid pesticides:
Pesticides that rid your yard of insect pests will also rid it of butterflies. Develop a tolerance for a chewed leaf or two!
-- Homes & Gardens staff
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