Butterfly Habitats

If you want to see more butterflies, why not plant a garden for them! Not only are butterflies beautiful to watch, but monitoring them is an engaging way to teach students (and adults) about their life cycle. The secret to creating a successful butterfly habitat is in the plants: be sure to carefully select native plants that are nectar sources as well as native host plants for caterpillars.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service offers a Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat & Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed Guide , a full color guide of native plants which indicates what type of wildlife each plant attracts (as a food source or host plant). Visit this guide online or order a free full color copy.

The below resources will give you all the information you need to create and enjoy a successful butterfly habitat project!

• Attracting Butterflies to Your Wildlife Habitat - National Wildlife Federation
• Butterflies and Moths of North America - identify, locate & learn about butterflies and moths
• The Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly Restoration Project - Fair Hill Nature Center
• Fruits for Butterflies - Maryland DNR Wild Acres Program
• Logpiles for Butterflies - Maryland DNR Wild Acres Program
• Native Butterfly Host & Food Plants: Mid-Atlantic
• Planting for Hummingbirds, Butterflies & Bees - Maryland DNR Wild Acres Program
• Tips for Creating a Butterfly Habitat
• Using Native Plants to Attract Butterflies - Maryland Native Plant Society
• Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly Exhibit - Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD

NOTE:  The book Garden Butterflies of North America: A Gallery of Garden Butterflies & How to Attract Them by Rick Mikula is an excellent resource for information on butterflies and butterfly gardening.

Also See:
How to Choose and Find Native Plants
Native Landscaping
How to Create a Habitat Project
Types of Habitat Projects
Native Habitats for Wildlife



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