There is a funny thing that happens when someone plants their very first butterfly garden. They carefully pick out beautiful plants, tuck them into the perfect sunny spot, water them, check on them …
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There is a funny thing that happens when someone plants their very first butterfly garden. They carefully pick out beautiful plants, tuck them into the perfect sunny spot, water them, check on them daily, and then one morning they walk outside and discover…
Something has eaten their plants! Leaves missing. Stems chewed. Plants looking like they went through a tiny insect buffet line overnight.
The first reaction is usually panic.
"What is eating my butterfly garden?!”
The answer? Hopefully, butterflies.
One of the biggest misunderstandings about butterfly gardening is that people expect their plants to stay picture perfect. We imagine butterflies gracefully floating from flower to flower in a beautiful untouched garden.
But the truth is, a successful butterfly garden is supposed to have a little damage. A perfect butterfly garden is not one where nothing gets eaten.
A perfect butterfly garden is one where life is happening. Those holes in your leaves may actually be a sign that you did everything right.
When creating a butterfly garden, there are two important types of plants to understand: host plants and nectar plants.
Nectar plants are the restaurants.
Host plants are the nurseries.
Adult butterflies visit nectar plants for food. These are the beautiful flowers we usually think about when we imagine butterfly gardening. They provide energy for adult butterflies and attract them into our yards.
But nectar plants alone do not create future butterflies. For that, you need host plants.
Host plants are specific plants where butterflies lay their eggs. When those tiny eggs hatch, caterpillars emerge and begin eating the leaves.
And they eat. And eat. And eat some more. That is exactly what they are supposed to do.
A caterpillar’s entire job is to consume enough food to transform into a butterfly.
So yes, if you invite butterflies into your garden, you are also inviting hungry little caterpillars.
One of the best examples of a host plant relationship is the monarch butterfly and milkweed.
Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed plants because it is the only plant their caterpillars can eat.
A monarch cannot simply decide to lay eggs on your roses, lantana or zinnias.
The caterpillars need milkweed.
Here along the Alabama Gulf Coast, we are lucky because native milkweed grow beautifully in our area.
Some of my favorites are:
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata): Despite the name, this is one of the prettiest native milkweeds. It produces clusters of pink flowers that butterflies love. It also handles our Gulf Coast conditions better than many people expect, especially areas that stay a little more dry or wet. They adapt.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa): This beautiful orange-flowering native milkweed loves sunshine and well-draining soil. Once established, it is tough, drought tolerant and absolutely stunning in the garden.
Aquatic milkweed (Asclepias perennis): A great choice for our lower, wetter areas. It naturally grows in moist habitats and is a wonderful option for Gulf Coast gardeners dealing with areas that hold water.
Native milkweeds support monarchs while also fitting naturally into our ecosystem.
And remember, if your milkweed looks like something attacked it, check closely before you worry. You may have baby monarchs.
A reminder also that monarchs on now on the extinction list, so it is more important that ever to plant our native milkweed.
If you grow milkweed long enough, eventually you will probably notice little bright orange insects gathering on your plants.
Meet the milkweed aphid.
These tiny orange-yellow insects (often called oleander aphids) love milkweed plants. They usually gather around new growth, stems and flower buds.
Are they annoying? Yes. Are they the end of the world? Usually, no.
The biggest mistake gardeners make is reaching immediately for insect sprays. Remember, this is a butterfly nursery.
Anything designed to kill insects can also harm the very caterpillars you are trying to protect.
Instead, try gentle methods first:
A butterfly garden will always have insects. That is actually the goal. Building your own little gulf coast ecosystem.
Monarchs get a lot of attention, but they are only one piece of the butterfly world.
Different butterflies need different host plants. If you want more butterflies, grow more variety.
Great host plants for coastal Alabama include:
Passionflower vine: Host plant for Gulf fritillary butterflies. If the leaves disappear, celebrate — caterpillars are probably enjoying them.
Parsley, dill and fennel: Host plants for black swallowtail butterflies. Those beautiful striped caterpillars munching your herbs are future butterflies.
Citrus trees: Host plant for giant swallowtails.
Native violets: Host plants for multiple fritillary butterflies.
Oak trees: One of the most important wildlife trees, supporting many butterfly and moth species.
Pawpaw trees: Host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly.
Sometimes the best butterfly plants are not just the showiest flowers, they are the ones feeding the next generation.
After you provide the nursery, you also need the restaurant.
Nectar plants for our Gulf Coast gardens include:
Plant different colors, shapes, and bloom times so butterflies have food throughout the growing season.
We live in a world where we are taught that gardens should look perfect.
No holes.
No bugs.
No messy leaves.
But nature does not work that way. A butterfly garden is not just decoration, it is a habitat. The chewed leaf may mean a caterpillar survived.
The missing milkweed may mean monarchs are growing. The imperfect plant may mean you created a tiny ecosystem right outside your door. So next time you walk outside and see something has been eating your butterfly garden, look closer before you panic.
You might not have a problem. You might have butterflies. And that is exactly what you planted it for.
