Butterfly gardening is a very popular hobby in North America and elsewhere.   Why, you ask?   Well, from a practical standpoint,  butterflies have a very important role to play in the pollination of a wide range of plants.  But for a lot of people, it is because butterflies are beautiful, fascinating creatures of nature.   Which is perhaps why  Nature Preservation Foundation, operators of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hope Estate decided  to create a butterfly garden at the northeastern end of the Gardens.  This butterfly garden  offers visitors the opportunity to relax in the presence of some of nature’s more beguiling creatures.  It literally stops you in your tracks.   Such an eye-popping array of colours, forms and textures!   Come to think of it, that’s something humans have in common with butterflies - an attraction to beautiful things.

Female butterflies are attracted to bright colours and seek out particular host plants to lay their eggs.  To ensure survival of her offspring, female butterflies are careful to lay eggs only on plants that the emerging caterpillars can use as food.    They also look for plants that provide an easy supply of nectar, an essential source of food for both male and female adult butterflies.  A sure way to attract many types of butterflies to your garden is to  ensure a good selection of blooms throughout the year.    Among the plants selected by Hope Gardens to attract butterflies  are pentas, marigold, impatiens, salvia, zinnia, Spanish needle, vinca, marigold and lantana.  Some butterflies are also attracted to herbs such as mint.

For those of you who may wish to attract more butterflies to your garden, your efforts need not be as formal as those at Hope Gardens.  All you need is an airy, sun-filled area; a good assortment of colourful blooms;   groupings of shrubs, hedges or small trees that provide shelter from high winds and temperature extremes;  and  a source of moisture in the form of damp sand or earth. Did you know that butterflies can’t drink from open water?  They will gather around a mud puddle soaking up needed moisture and minerals, particularly sodium.   So go ahead and place a shallow pot or saucer filled with damp sand.  It goes without saying that pesticides and butterflies do not mix. So do not spray in the area you hope to see butterflies congregating.      

Butterflies are an important element in nature’s biodiversity. Since  many natural butterfly habitats have been lost to industrialization and urbanization, building butterfly populations is but a small part of our efforts to conserve our natural heritage for future generations.  Enjoy the Independence Celebrations.