Ideas for Aesthetic Butterfly Garden Plans and Designs

Introduction Image Credit

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eighty-eight_Butterfly_(Diaethria_anna).JPG licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, Author  Charlesjsharp

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schmetterling_1a_neucc.jpg  licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license ,Author Uwe H. Friese Bremerhaven, Germany

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Butterfly_garden.JPG licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, Author Pro2

Since many natural, environmental butterfly habitats have wiped out, it is of great help to the nature if your garden is designed specifically for butterflies by planting plants and flowers that attract these humble creations. As the destruction of forests, green habitats and woods due to a massive urbanization has expedited the woes of many extinct species, any hobby that saves nature and advocates green living deserves applause. I am a firm believer of conserving nature and any small step to preserve it is commendable.

Since I was a small child, I have loved the beautiful creations of the Almighty who has delicately carved picturesque designs on their bodies that is unparalleled in craftsmanship. Had I been a butterfly, I would have loved to fly from one garden to another and enjoyed hopping from flower to flower drinking nectar thus enjoying the enchanting loveliness of flowers. I think any creation however small has its purpose.

We would see butterflies in abundance when I was a kid. But alas, with the dwindling of the forests, green farms and flower gardens this has become utterly impossible. For example, neither an urban civilization nor a rural village, you can spot butterfly. You can even travel for miles and not find a green refuge or a garden for retreat. Such is the sad state of our cities and rural locations that you deeply crave for green spaces. Butterfly garden designs or alternative butterfly garden home ought to be build for these very reasons and saving them from disappearing is a huge responsibility to mankind.

To provide a natural habitat to butterflies, butterfly garden plans should be designed with an open landscaping where they can bask in the glory of sun and supplement them with shady areas that can be used for cooling off from the scorching sun in warm weather. Planting butterfly bush and garden flowers ensures that butterflies will have an opportunity to come back again to your garden next season especially in case of migrating butterflies such as Monarchs.

Mankind has evolved in co-existence with many different species that give this amazing planet an edge and reasons for mankind to live, one such creation is the elegant butterfly. The nature’s most graceful creations are the lovely and pretty butterflies that never cease to amaze life.

Designing a beautifully crafted butterfly garden requires some serious research so that you can really make your garden to work for attracting the exotic species of different varieties of butterflies that exist in the nature. It also depends upon the various parameters such as the location and the geographical attributes in inviting the natures amazing creations to your backyard.

You might have to compile an extensive list of butterflies you want to work on and then apply the knowledge in planting those flowers and vegetation that attract the butterflies for feeding, laying eggs and supporting the lifecycle. The local plants and flowers is definitely a good way of starting because they are the most appropriate selections for the right conditions and environment for growing butterflies that are local to your area. You will find that if there is a typical type of vegetation and a flower which is their favourite food, many adult butterflies will be attracted in huge numbers for longer periods that encourages them to multiply.

If you are serious about planting a butterfly garden that draws exotic species of the rare butterflies, it will be prudent to mention that a careful study in acquiring the knowledge of species that find favour in the local climate is certainly desired. You will have to a study and organize a list of local garden flowers that help in attracting butterflies. This will go a long way to help them selecting your garden for laying eggs and making it a permanent habitat for growing, nurturing and completing their life cycle.

The butterfly garden home should be designed to support both the caterpillar and the adult butterfly. Butterfly garden plans necessitate cultivating the host plants as well as the flowering plants .When the larvae is hatched, the caterpillar devours the host plants and grows fast owing to its huge appetite. The flowering plants serve as magnets to the exotic and native butterfly species which feed on the delicious nectar of blooming flowers. This serves as the dual purpose of supporting the infant and the adult butterfly as well.

Some of the female butterfly species are very selective in choosing the plants to lay eggs. So you must cultivate host plants in order to provide nourishments to the butterfly larvaes. Planting butterfly bush ensures that. Unlike caterpillars; the adult butterflies love flowering plants as they cannot chew. They love nectars from a diversity of flowering plants. Butterfly garden plans should have a combination of host and flowering plants that will ensure the full life cycle of butterfly increasing the chance of survival and attracting various species of distinct butterflies. Butterfly garden flowers are different from the regular flowering plants. Bright colored flowers are a favorite with them and variation is welcome.

The larvae of butterflies are hairy and covered with fork like spines. Sometimes the stings may cause dreadful itching. Beware of handling the larvae’s, better use gloves while handling these larvaes. If you find that the butterfly caterpillars are eating too much foliage from your favorite plant and you want to relocate them, you can try moving them to a less prominent plant or shift the entire pots to an ignored place of the garden, a backyard or a corner. Don't get fussy about the caterpillars eating the plants because they will grow to magnificent butterflies.

Remember that the butterfly larvae’s are capable of camouflaging themselves with the background to protect themselves from predators. Some of the caterpillars resemble snakes or birds droppings, others blend themselves with the surroundings for protection. The infant caterpillars have huge appetite and they prefer to eat from dense foliage helping them to grow faster. Do not worry if you see your plants being eaten by the caterpillars in abundance.

But, if you must move them, wear gloves to avoid stings while relocating them from one place to another on the plant. Better, you dedicate pots and move them to a less noticeable space where there are no hindrances.  After all, you do want the baby butterfly to grow in an elegant adult butterfly.

The butterflies like other insects are cold-blooded living organisms and cannot regulate their body temperature. In fact, you will be able to visualize the interesting part of their growing up when you will be able to observe them bathing in the sun in a warm sunny day but hiding themselves on a cool and cloudy days.

Your knowledge and expertise will go a long way in ensuring these beautiful insects live to see another day in our lonely planet.