Picture this: a vibrant garden filled with fluttering wings, brilliant colors, and the gentle hum of life. Now, imagine that this garden is not only a feast for your eyes but also a vital lifeline for some of nature’s most delicate creatures – butterflies and birds.
By creating a bird and butterfly garden, you can play a crucial role in conserving these beautiful insects and the ecosystems they support. But why should you care?
It turns out that these seemingly fragile creatures are more than just pretty faces. They are essential pollinators, helping to maintain the health and diversity of our planet’s flora. However, butterfly populations are facing unprecedented challenges. The eastern monarch butterfly population has declined by 84% between the winters of 1996–1997 and 2014–2015, with a risk of quasi-extinction of 11–57% in the next 20 years¹.
That’s where you come in along with this guide.
Choose a Diverse Mix of Native Plants
The foundation of any wildlife-friendly garden is a wide variety of native plants that provide food and shelter. Native plants have co-evolved with local birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, so they are uniquely suited to support them.
Include a mix of:
- Nectar-rich flowers for adult butterflies and hummingbirds, such as coneflowers, bee balm, penstemon, salvia, and zinnias
- Host plants for butterfly caterpillars, like milkweed for monarchs, parsley and fennel for swallowtails, and asters for pearl crescents
- Berry-producing shrubs for birds, such as elderberry, serviceberry, viburnum, and dogwood
- Seed-bearing flowers and grasses for seed-eating birds, like coreopsis, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, and little bluestem
Aim for a variety of plants that bloom at different times from spring through fall to provide a continuous food source. Planting in clusters of 3-5 plants of the same species makes it easier for pollinators to locate the flowers.
Ecological designers often maintain 1-foot spacing between plants throughout the bed.
Choose Plants for Your Hardiness Zone & Site Conditions
When selecting plants for your bird and butterfly garden, it’s important to consider your local climate and choose species that are well-suited to your USDA hardiness zone.
Here are some recommended native plants for different regions:
Zones 3-8
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Salvia ‘May Night’ (Salvia x sylvestris)
- Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
- Aster ‘Wood’s Pink’ (Symphyotrichum dumosum)
Zones 5-9
- Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
- Phlox ‘David’ (Phlox paniculata)
- Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ (Coreopsis verticillata)
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Hylotelephium ‘Herbstsfreude’)
Zones 8-11
- Pentas (Pentas lanceolata)
- Gaillardia ‘Arizona Sun’ (Gaillardia x grandiflora)
- Salvia ‘Black & Blue’ (Salvia guaranitica)
- Lantana ‘New Gold’ (Lantana x hybrida)
- Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
Also consider the specific site conditions in your yard, such as sun exposure and soil type. Most bird and butterfly plants prefer full sun sites, but some can tolerate partial shade.
Native plants are adaptable to many soil types, but if you have heavy clay soil, you may wish to add organic matter like compost to improve drainage.
Provide Water Sources
All birds and butterflies need water for drinking and bathing. Adding a shallow birdbath, fountain, or pond will help attract them to your yard. For butterflies, include some flat rocks where they can perch and get minerals from damp soil or sand.
Create Shelter & Nesting Sites
Birds need places to safely rest, nest, and raise their young. Dense shrubs, thickets, and brush piles provide protective cover. Birdhouses give cavity-nesting species like bluebirds and chickadees a place to nest. Leave some dead trees or branches for woodpeckers.
You can also add natural rocks, a bench or garden ornaments in and around your garden to provide additional shelter and visual interest.
Offer Supplemental Food
While native plants should be the main food source, offering additional feeders can help attract more birds, especially during winter when natural food is scarce. Provide a variety of feeders and foods like sunflower seeds, safflower, peanuts, fruit, suet, and nectar to appeal to different species.
Overripe fruit like bananas can also be left out for butterflies.
Avoid Pesticides
Pesticides can harm birds, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Instead of using chemicals, attract natural predators like birds to help control pests. Hand-pick pests when possible or use safer organic methods if needed.
Avoid using lawn fertilizers or insecticides near your bird and butterfly garden. Fertilizers will stimulate weed competition without benefiting your native plants. Insecticides could sicken or kill the butterflies and birds attracted to your garden.
Provide Basking Spots
Butterflies need sunny spots to warm their wings for flying. Flat rocks or light-colored pavers in the garden give them a place to bask and absorb heat.
Leave Some Wild Areas
Don’t be too tidy – birds and butterflies actually prefer some wild, unmowed areas with tall grass and native “weeds”. Leaf litter also provides habitat for butterfly pupae and moth cocoons.
Simple, Straightforward Construction: 5 Steps
Creating your bird and butterfly garden is not complicated. Just follow these simple steps:
- Decide on the basic shape of your garden.
- Remove any grass or sod. You can plant directly into the existing grade or raise the bed by adding and mixing soil.
- Plant the native plants, clustering same-species together and maintaining 1-foot spacing.
- Mulch the area to help keep weeds down and hold in moisture, but keep mulch away from the base of each plant.
- Water your planting every other day for the first few weeks, until plants are growing and well-established. Once established, they’ll thrive without additional watering.
Come spring, mow and remove dead vegetation, or simply burn it off if your fire department regulations allow it. Native plants thrive under fire management.
Free Garden Plan
Here is a free printable PDF you use when you’re ready to create your own bird and butterfly garden.
Observe & Enjoy
Take time to watch the birds and butterflies that visit your garden. Notice which plants and features they are most drawn to. Keep a journal of what species you see and when. You’ll learn and have fun in designing your own backyard landscape!
Observing the wildlife your habitat attracts is a rewarding way to connect with nature. Most adult butterflies live an average of 2 to 4 weeks if they are not eaten by predators. Many butterfly species require specific host plants in order to survive. For example, butterfly weed is a host plant for Monarch butterflies, and fox sedge is a host plant to the Skipper family of butterflies.
By incorporating these elements, your bird and butterfly garden will soon be filled with fluttering wings, cheerful songs, and vibrant colors as these beautiful creatures make themselves at home.
With some thoughtful planning and a diverse mix of native plants, you can create a haven for your local birds and butterflies to thrive.
Sources
Read Next:
Davin is a jack-of-all-trades but has professional training and experience in various home and garden subjects. He leans on other experts when needed and edits and fact-checks all articles.