I saw a Luna moth just once in the 10 years we have been in our house. It was right around the time of the Lunesta commercials. The neighboring kids were thrilled too.

I actually love the butterfly bush. However, nutritionally it is like candy for butterflies. So, if you do have the bush (like I do) make sure that there are other nutritious plant foods.

I have found that Spanish Verbena, bee balm, marigolds, butterfly weed are butterfly magnets too.

You can also attract them with host plants like Dill (swallowtail) and milkweed (monarch) and birch tree (Luna moth)...

Give them an area for puddling, some overripe fruits and all of a sudden you will also see a lot of skippers too.

Not sure where you are located but the people at Nature By Design nursery (Old Town Alex) have been really helpful for my native planting spree.

Look for the plants with the butterfly icon:
http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/pdf/chesapeakenatives.pdf

This thread has a lot of good ideas too:
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/296197.page

Anonymous wrote:

With a name like "butterfly bush" it's probably difficult NOT to reommend it!

This is another good resource:
http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/pdf/chesapeakenatives.pdf

I planted some butterfly weed and Joe Pye weed last year and they've really taken off. The common milkweed was slower to establish but did come back this year.

We should rename them butterflyflower, Joepyeflower, and milkflower. Then people might plant them more.

Parsley is a good host plant for the Eastern black swallowtail. I plant the flat-leaf variety. We buy parsley for ourselves at the store and leave the garden plants for critters.
I also have a few dwarf butterfly bushes, as part of my hummingbird garden.

Audubon at Home is a really awesome website and source of information for attracting whatever you want to your garden. We've had really good luck following their advice with getting bluebirds and hummingbirds to our garden. Virginia Cooperative Extension is also an excellent resource. Via the pdf bellow you can learn which flowers specific types of butterflies prefer.

http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/HORT/HORT-59/HORT-59-PDF.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intersting that is no bueno for buttterflies. I was on the Merryfield Nursery Website and they had a link to an article talking about how butterfly bushes were good for a butterfly garden. That is why I thought of them! Sounds like they don't know what they are talking about.

By a strange coincidence, Merryfield Nursery sells butterfly bushes...

Ha ha, well I figured that was the reason. But I assume they also sell the other options that are native and better for butterflies! So why not just mention them? I guess a butterfly bush is more $$$ than some of the other opitions.

With a name like "butterfly bush" it's probably difficult NOT to reommend it!

This is another good resource:
http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/pdf/chesapeakenatives.pdf

I planted some butterfly weed and Joe Pye weed last year and they've really taken off. The common milkweed was slower to establish but did come back this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intersting that is no bueno for buttterflies. I was on the Merryfield Nursery Website and they had a link to an article talking about how butterfly bushes were good for a butterfly garden. That is why I thought of them! Sounds like they don't know what they are talking about.

By a strange coincidence, Merryfield Nursery sells butterfly bushes...

Ha ha, well I figured that was the reason. But I assume they also sell the other options that are native and better for butterflies! So why not just mention them? I guess a butterfly bush is more $$$ than some of the other opitions.

Anonymous wrote:Intersting that is no bueno for buttterflies. I was on the Merryfield Nursery Website and they had a link to an article talking about how butterfly bushes were good for a butterfly garden. That is why I thought of them! Sounds like they don't know what they are talking about.

By a strange coincidence, Merryfield Nursery sells butterfly bushes...

Intersting that is no bueno for buttterflies. I was on the Merryfield Nursery Website and they had a link to an article talking about how butterfly bushes were good for a butterfly garden. That is why I thought of them! Sounds like they don't know what they are talking about.

www.wildflower.org is another great website that will give you native plant ideas. Totally agree that butterfly bush is no bueno for butterflies, plus it's invasive. The Audubon Naturalist Society might be a place to check out.

Thanks! That is really helpful.

For a butterfly garden, you need host plants as well as nectar plants. Butterfly bushes are non-native and don't serve as host plants.

Here are some good resources for the Maryland/Virginia area:

http://www.mdflora.org/resources/publications/gardenersguidelines/gguidelines03.pdf
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/infosheets/butterfliesandmoths.pdf

Does anyone have a butterfly garden? I have this random corner spot in my yard that gets full sun and I think would make a great small butterfly garden. I would love to put in more periennials over annuals. Obviously I know that milkweed is a good option. I love the look of some butterfly bushes, but I worry they will get too big for the spot. So any small plant recommendations that would work in a butterfly garden? Thanks!