During the summer of 2015, I decided to build a butterfly garden. I wanted to show people how simple it is to do with a limited amount space and pass along my trials and tribulations, so others can eliminate issues they may encounter. Whether you live in a city or out in the country, this can be achieved with very little effort. The enjoyment and learning experience of building your own butterfly garden will create memories to last a lifetime.
In August, I started the construction of the 9 by 9' area. First I marked off the outline with a tape measure, taking a flat shovel, I skimmed off the grass. Next the dirt was removed about six inches down, then a few bags of topsoil was added and that's it. This was the start of what would become my butterfly garden. Our property has thousands of milkweed plants. I transplanted a few by digging up the plants, making sure to keep the roots in tact. The two types of milkweed plants we have here are the Common Milkweed and the Swamp Milkweed. The Common Milkweed have a tap root, which means the main root travels underground in different directions and sprouts plants up through the ground. These plants are very aggressive and may sprout in area that are not desired. It is best to remove them by simply pulling them out. The Swamp Milkweed has a standard root like most plants. (The photos shown below) are the initial ones I took about two weeks after I started building. I also added a water supply with rocks around it and also a plate with sand, I keep this moist because butterflies will sit on the sand to cool and soak up the moisture, especially during hot days. And finally I added a flat large rock which they use to heat their bodies up on cool mornings.
(The photos below are some of my favorites). Anytime I see a caterpillar of any butterfly species, I know that I'm helping with the butterfly population. This caterpillar is a Yellow Swallowtail, these are not that common in this area. As you can see, the milkweed leaf is being eaten. In most cases, the caterpillar will feed on several leaves on the same plant.
(The photos below were taken when I decided to add a wood frame in June of 2016). This is not necessary but I wanted the milkweed and the flowers separated. I took out the rock because it didn't fit into my plans, as you can see, the milkweed is doing well considering the transplanting success is less than 50 percent, I only had one plant die.
(The next set of photos) is the completed butterfly garden with six different perennials planted. I picked out plants that would flower at different times from spring through fall . Back left-(White Sage), back right-(Russian Sage), middle-(Phlox), front left-(Delphinium), front right-(Lupine) and in front of the sitting rock is the (Sedum). There are over 50 varieties of Perennial flowers that will attract butterflies in various regions around the country. Their are so many flowers that butterflies feed on, I decided to purchase plants that would do well in the Midwest region. Our temperatures here can reach over 25 degrees below zero and most plants would not get through our winters here in northern Minnesota. You will have no problem finding plants to suit your needs no matter where you live. I added a fountain, a big rock for the butterflies to warm up on during cool spring and fall mornings, a deer planter with annual flowers and of course, the sand with water added to help cool the butterflies off during the hot dry spells. The dish for the sand is a microwave tray I found at a thrift store. that's what's nice about building your own garden, you can save money by using items around your house.
The following photos were taken in late August. Over the last four years since I started my butterfly garden, I have had many butterflies come and go, lay eggs, eggs hatched, caterpillars form a chrysalis that emerge into beautiful butterflies. This process is one of the most amazing things I have seen in my life. You can experience this to, just a small effort can make a big difference in helping one of the most beautiful and beneficial creatures on earth.
The photos below were taken in mid September, the caterpillar was feeding on this milkweed for over 9 days. Considering the cooler temperatures by this time of year, this caterpillar will take an extra week in the chrysalis to develop. I had a minimum of six caterpillars feeding on milkweed in my butterfly garden this year. Considering the size of this garden and amount of milkweed plants, imagine how many were feeding on the thousands of milkweed plants on our property. The majority of the time, the caterpillar will feed on the milkweed leaves from underneath, the reasons for this are, they are less visible to predators and have more protection from adverse weather conditions.
In the photos below, You can see the milkweed starting to take off in early May and every year, it increases. These plants will grow rapidly under the right weather conditions. I would guess that this small space will have over 40 plants.
More photos of the completed garden
On August 15, 2019 I started doing something that I wanted to do for some time now. I started raising monarch butterflies, This process has been amazing, I have 18 that I have helped so far. These range in size from a 1st instar to a fifth instar when Jeff, Oscar and I retrieved them off of milkweed on our property and the surrounding area. I will be updating the website with my story in the coming months. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences.
If you have any questions on the construction or maintenance of your butterfly garden, please email me at: info@gogreenproducts.us