How to attract butterflies  

Attracting butterflies to your outdoor living space is not difficult to do if you welcome them with a long-term source of food, water, and a place of safety. It means planting the kinds of flowers, shrubs, vines, and trees that provide berries, seeds, and nectar, a nesting area that is protected from predators, and fresh water for drinking and bathing.

You need to supply food, a fresh water supply and a home to protect them from the weather and predators. Grow sun-loving flowers (i.e., particularly those that grow wild in meadows) in your patio garden planters to attract butterflies. Choose brightly colored flowers like the purple coneflower.You can buy a birdbath, a fountain, or construct your own water garden with an appropriate garden planter. Attracting butterflies means providing safe hiding places for homes and so you need planters that will support flowering shrubs, an evergreen or two, or even a small fruit-bearing tree where birds can feed and nest. Planters have to be heavy enough that a fully-grown shrub or tree won't cause the planter to topple over.

Creating an environment for attracting butterflies takes a little planning, but container gardening makes it easy. And, yes, you can do all that in a small space with container gardens, and even if you are a city dweller, butterflies will accept your yard, patio, deck, or balcony as a wildlife oasis and pay regular visits. Here are a few ideas for attracting butterflies to your garden. Plant native wildflowers as well as nectar producing flowers. Larval plants are another way to attract butterflies to your garden. Keeping your garden away from traffic and having full sunny spots for warmth is also helpful. As well as having sand filled puddles for water. Another good idea is to have a lot of fragrant blooms to help attract them.

How to attract butterflies