Butterfly Garden

Roll out the red carpet this year for the butterflies in your area! Select the plants, shrubs, and trees they crave. Beautiful and graceful, butterflies will reward your gardening efforts by livening up your view and pollinating your plants. Start your butterfly garden today with the help of Rohsler’s Nursery.

returning the favor

Butterflies are part of the insect group known as the pollinators. Pollinators distribute pollen from plants to plants increasing growth and fertility. Like many other pollinators, butterflies play an essential role in producing the foods we eat and the plants we grow. In order to show appreciation to our beautiful little friends, we can return the favor by keeping them well fed with butterfly gardens.

Planning your butterfly garden

When planning your butterfly garden, remember the same native plants that add color, texture, and fragrance to your landscape are also much-needed food sources for pollinators.

Flowering plants such as Asters, Coneflower, Hyssop, Liatris, and Phlox are perfect for your butterfly garden since they draw several different types of butterflies. However, flowering plants are just the beginning. Other plants like herbs, fruits, and vegetables also attract butterflies.

The Black Swallowtail butterfly feeds on plants like Parsley, Fennel, and Carrots, both wild and cultivated. The Eastern Tailed-blue butterfly enjoys plants belonging to the Pea family. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly is attracted to Wild Black Cherry and Tulip trees and a variety of lilies.

Trees are another butterfly magnet. Elms attract the beautiful Question Mark and Eastern Comma butterflies. Question Marks butterflies will also feed on Hackberry trees. One of the first butterflies to appear in the spring, the Mourning Cloak butterfly, is usually drawn to Willows.

Encourage some White Clover butterfly to feed the Clouded Sulphurs, and plant Gerardia to benefit the Common Buckeye butterfly.

Save a bit of room in your garden for Asclepias, or milkweed as it is also known as. Asclepias is an important element in the Monarch butterflies life cycle. Rohsler’s invites local gardeners to plant the organically grown, chemical-free milkweed we grow from seed.

For the best advice butterfly gardening advice, be sure to visit Rohsler’s Nursery.