HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-04-15, Page 68Page 40
Let this
year's harden
— take wig � !
The concept of butterfly gardening is
not new; it is a very popular pastime in
England and the United States.
Winston Churchill was probably the
most famous butterfly gardener of this
century.
Even the gardens of Buckingham
Palace have become famous because
they provide sanctuary for many rare
British butterflies.
You can attract as many as 50 dif-
ferent types of butterflies to your yard,
simply by adding a few new plants to
your garden, says Landscape Designer
Katherine Dunster of the University of
Guelph's department of landscape
architecture.
The secret hes in providing a wide
variety of flowers and shrubs.
Shade -tolerant plants are as impor-
tant as those that thrive in the sun.
Annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees
will all provide food for butterflies.
Seeding part of a lawn with a wild-
flower meadow mix — now available
through seed catalogues and garden
centres — is a good way to start.
Flower color is important too; some
butterflies prefer oranges, reds and
yellows; others are attracted to whites,
purples and blues.
"If you aim fora wide variety of color
you will probably have greater
success," she said.
As a rule, simple flowers, rather than
fancy double -hybrids, are more attrac-
tive to butterflies.
Try butterfly milkweed, arabis, sweet
rocket, honesty, sweet William, white
alyssum, cosmos, coreopsis, phlox,
daisies, catnip, heliotrope, sea holly,
asters, stocks, zinnias, yarrow, globe
thistles, lavender, thyme, stonecrops,
sweet woodruff, candytuft, verbena
and gaillardia.
Some shrubs and small trees that are
popular with many butterflies include
butterfly bush, common lilac, mock
orange, beauty bush, blackberry,
potentilla, honeysuckle, hawthorn,
weigela, sumac, rose of Sharon, spires,
privet, pussy willow and viburnum.
Try growing some of these plants in
masses, rather than as single speci-
mens; the measure of your success will
be the number and variety of butter-
flies you can lure to your yard.
And contrary to popular belief, but -
1
terflies do not harm flowers or
vegetables; they usually visit to sip
nectar from flowers — just as honeY-
bees, do.
In fact, they are excellent pollinators
and can improve your fruit and vege-
table production.
At times, their larvae do cause
damage in the garden; but most have
very special food requirements such as
grasses, common weeds and
wildflowers.
However, the cabbage white butterfly
can be a pest.
Its larvae eat plants in the cabbage
family.
"If caterpillars are causing pro-
blems in your garden, it may be best to
pick them off your plants; spraying is
not recommended because it can harm
beneficial insects as well," Dunster
said.
Over the years, experiment with dif-
ferent color and plant combinations to
find out which plants are best for your
area.
"All that remains then, is to purchase
a field guide to butterflies, and sit back
and see who drops in for a visit," she
said.
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