Husein Ali Zorkot
You can create your own fantastic butterfly garden anywhere—whether at home on a balcony, patio, or near a hedge or lawn. With a few simple modifications, you can transform an ordinary garden into an ecofriendly, sustainable butterfly oasis. All you need are butterfly plants, water, sunshine, and shelter!
Butterfly Plants
A butterfly garden is designed to attract and sustain butterflies by cultivating specific plants—commonly referred to as butterfly plants. These include:
- Host Plants: The “life cycle plants” where butterflies lay their eggs and caterpillars feed on the leaves until pupation.
- Nectar Plants: These are the “food plants” that attract adult butterflies with their abundant, energy-rich nectar.
Nectar is a honeydew-like liquid produced in the nectaries of flowers and serves as the primary food source for adult butterflies. For optimal butterfly attraction, select native wildflowers that bloom throughout spring, summer, and autumn. Native plants are preferable because they:
- Represent the country’s native flora and biodiversity heritage.
- Are typically non-invasive and less likely to hybridize.
- Produce more nectar than many cultivated varieties.
A well-chosen mix of nectar and host plants is key to promoting a vibrant butterfly garden. Some plants serve both roles, reducing the need for butterflies to fly far in search of nectar. Here are some excellent native options:
- Autumn: Elecampanes (Dittrichia spp.)
- Summer: Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.), Horse-thistles (Cirsium spp.), Bishop’s-weeds (Ammi spp.), Brooms (Cytisus spp.)
- Spring/Summer: Daisies (Glebionis spp.), Plumed-thistles (Carduus spp.), Scabious (Scabiosa spp.), Mignonettes (Reseda spp.), Stonecrops (Sedum spp.), Cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.), Milk-vetches (Astragalus spp.), Medicks (Medicago spp.), Birdsfoot-trefoils (Lotus spp.)
- Spring: Storksbills (Erodium spp.), Vetches (Vicia spp.), Vetchlings (Lathyrus spp.), Geraniums (Geranium spp.), Forget-me-nots (Myosotis spp.)
- Summer/Late Summer: Eryngos (Eryngium spp.)
- Summer/Autumn: Marjorams (Origanum spp.), Knotweeds (Polygonum spp.)
- Spring/Summer: Clovers (Trifolium spp.)
- Summer: Heliotropes (Heliotropium spp.), Thymes (Thymus spp.), Mints (Mentha spp.), Lavenders (Lavandula spp.), Woundworts (Stachys spp.)
- Late Spring/Summer: Wild garlics (Allium spp.), Wild cabbages (Brassica spp.)
Helpful Tips for Creating a Butterfly Garden
- Location & Timing:
- Plant in areas with good drainage.
- Choose spring or autumn for planting, avoiding the extreme heat of summer and the cold of winter.
- Ensure a succession of blooms from mid- to late summer, when butterflies are most active.
- Planting Strategy:
- Select a diverse mix of wildflowers, aromatic herbs, grasses, vines, and trees.
- Combine both nectar and host plants; arrange them so that when one finishes flowering, another begins, ensuring year-round productivity.
- Group plants by species and color (e.g., red with red, yellow with yellow) and in odd-numbered clusters (threes, fives, sevens) to create attractive blocks (approximately 1 m x 1 m).
- Organic Practices:
- Avoid herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, or broad-spectrum insecticides.
- Encourage natural populations of beneficial insects like ladybugs, hoverflies, lacewings, and various bees, moths, and dragonflies.
Water
Butterflies also require water along with salts and minerals. Create a mudpuddle by dampening a circle in the ground with untreated soil, and surround it with small stones or pebbles to provide landing spots. Alternatively, set up a sandpan using a shallow pan or an inverted lid filled with sand, or utilize a large stone with a water-filled cavity to serve as a drinking fountain.
Sunshine
Butterflies thrive in sunlight. They require the sun to warm their bodies and wings so they can fly and forage. Ensure your garden has plenty of open, sunny areas, with large stones, boulders, or walls serving as basking sites. Dark-colored stones are especially effective as they absorb heat more quickly.
Shelter
A successful butterfly garden includes shelter where butterflies can rest during inclement weather. Trees, shrubs, and vines provide refuge from cold, wind, and rain. Ideal shelter plants that can also serve as host plants include:
- Oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
- Buckthorns (Rhamnus spp.)
- Elders (Sambucus spp.)
- Oaks (Quercus spp.)
- Walnut (Juglans regia)
- Poplars (Populus spp.)
- Willows (Salix spp.)
- Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.)
- Almonds and cherries (Prunus spp.)
- Wild roses (Rosa spp.)
- Blackberries (Rubus spp.)
- Serviceberries (Sorbus spp.)
- Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
- Caper (Capparis spinosa)
- Wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera)
- Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
- Lote tree (Celtis australis)
- Honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.)
- Wild jasmine (Jasminum fruticans)
- Wild ivy (Hedera helix)
- Morning-glories (Ipomoea spp.)
- Traveller’s joy (Clematis vitalba)
- Fig (Ficus carica)
- Citrus trees (Citrus spp.)
- Acacias (Acacia spp.)
Nectar Feeders
When you visit our butterfly garden, be sure to stop by our summer wildflower nursery where you can purchase one of our original handmade glass nectar feeders. These feeders provide a year-round source of nectar, especially during periods when blooms are sparse.
How to Use the Glass Feeder:
- Mix a nectar solution with 1 part sugar to 9 parts water.
- Boil the solution for a few minutes while stirring, then allow it to cool.
- Open the lid and pour in the solution.
- Secure the feeder on a tree branch so that the sponge faces downward, ensuring a tight knot.
- Place the feeder in a sunny, sheltered spot away from strong winds.
- Do not substitute honey or other sweeteners for sugar.
Want to Learn More?
For further guidance on creating your own butterfly garden and for additional tips on native plant selection and organic gardening practices, please buy our wonderful book, Butterfly Gardening in Lebanon, available at our gift shop during your visit.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the butterfly garden manager and director, lepidopterist and butterfly expert Husein Ali Zorkot at:
- Mobile: 76/371 382
- Email: hzorkot@spnl.org
- Website: LEPIDOPTERA LIBANOTICA/Butterflies and Moths of Lebanon
Embrace the joy of butterfly gardening and transform your outdoor space into a thriving, sustainable ecosystem that celebrates the beauty and wonder of nature.
