In order to plan the ultimate butterfly garden, you first need to know which butterflies are in your area. There’s no point in creating the right habitat for a butterfly that never appears where you live. So your first order of business is to find out which butterflies you can expect. Florida Wildflowers and Butterflies Brochure make this part easy.
Many popular flower varieties are hybridized for features that are valued by the gardener, like disease resistance, flower size or color and bigger, longer blooms. Unfortunately much hybridization has reduced the production of nectar and pollen and sometimes leaves the resulting plant completely sterile and useless to bees and other pollinators. Native plants are usually best for native bees, and can be used in both wild areas and gardens. There are also many garden plants—particularly older, heirloom varieties of perennials and herbs—that are good sources of nectar or pollen. Together with native plants, these will make a garden attractive to both pollinators and people.
I do have free butterfly hand out, one shows the butterflies and flowers, the other the flowers and caterpillars. I can email them, I have them out at all of the events that I am at.
