Grow flowers you, and butterflies will love!

Plan a butterfly garden, find out what they need and the plants they love. Then,…add some Flea Market style! Includes directions for making soda can butterflies!

There are many themed gardens you can plant but one of the most enjoyable and wise choices in a butterfly garden. The stained glass colors of butterflies and also hummingbirds will add a whole dimension to your garden.

Vanessa Livingston found a rare Glasswing Butterfly

Choose the right flowers

Butterflies thrive on a variety of plants and flowers and different plants nurture the butterfly eggs and some act as nectar plants. It’s a good idea to find out what native plants will grow in your garden.  Those will instantly attract local butterflies from your state or country.

Deborah Parks ‘This is one of the Giant Swallowtail butterflies’

Cindy Sullivan’s brillaint orange butterfly? Or moth? Both are beneficial to your garden

Be sure to plant parsley because parsley provides a good home for the butterfly larvae and give you even more butterflies!

Buddleia, is commonly called “butterfly bush” for good reason,… it attracts butterflies of all kinds almost from the time it blooms.

Butterfly bush, or Buddleia means instant butterflies,…really!

Sun and water

Place a selection of flat rocks in your butterfly garden that will become landing pads for butterflies to sun themselves, and a if there’s a nearby birdbath it would provide water.

Sue Langley’s butterfly water station from half buried wine bottles

Butterflies love the sunny summer season, as are the following plants:

Donna Lesondak I love my butterfly bushes

Jane Krauter’s purple chair and Black-eyed Susans

Lavender fields…

Vibrant, saturated color of Kay Comer’s zinnias

Plan your butterfly garden where it receives six or more hours of sun a day and don’t use pesticides where you want to nurture these winged ‘living flowers’ we call butterflies.

Add Flea Market finds and crafts

Repurposed Life cut a butterfly from a rusty square of tin ceiling tile

Jeanne Sammons’s stained glass butterflies

Jeanne Sammons says, “I’m always adding to my Secret Garden …  and I have added some ‘stained glass’ butterflies from some friends & my own to create the look of a stained glass arbor next to my old tub planter.”

Dee Seitz‎’s soda can butterflies

Dee Seitz says, “Just wanted to say “I love this group.” It keeps me working in the yard more and more. Due to the heat here in Texas and lack of rain, I’ve been working on projects inside. Here are a few of my soda can butterflies I’m making for the yard and up coming plant swap.”

Drink can Butterflies

Materials you may need:

• Drink can
• Butterfly template
• Paint pens
• Scissors
• Paint and brush

Directions:

• Cut the bottom and top of the drink can so that you get a sheet of it
• Draw silhouettes of butterflies on its silver surface and cut the butterflies. Repeat the process to all the cans that you have.
• Paint the butterflies with acrylic paint markers in the colors and patterns of your choice. Your butterflies are ready to decorate your house. Have fun!

Ann Elias’s mosaic butterfly in her garden

Ann Elias says, ” My gem butterfly. For this garden butterfly, Ann says, “I made my butterfly from dishes, a bottle and some gems. The wings are made out of plexiglass.”  Ann used GE II Silicone to attach the gems.

Four of Sue Gerdes’s butterfly designs on stepping stones

Sue Jordan’s bottle and copper wire butterflies

Sue Jordan says, ”These were purchased. A metal rod supports the wire wrapped butterfly. The body of this butterfly is a hollow glass tube. I am adding a closer pic to show the wire pattern and soldering areas.”