6 Ways to Attract More Butterflies to Your Yard this Summer

Butterflies are so beautiful and fun to look at. To see more this year, use these 6 easy ways to attract more butterflies to your yard this Summer!

How to Attract More Butterflies to Your Yard this Summer

Butterflies can make a yard so beautiful! The way they flit about with their pretty colors and patterns just make a yard seem so serene! However, butterflies don't just visit any kind of yard. There are a few things they like to have! If you're not seeing enough butterflies lately, then you need these 6 tips on How to Attract More Butterflies to Your Yard this Summer!

6 Ways to Attract More Butterflies to Your Yard this Summer

1. Plant Bright Colors

Butterflies are usually brightly colored, and in a vain kind of way, they prefer that their environment be brightly colored, too! So if you want to attract more butterflies to your yard, then you need to plant brightly colored plants! On top of that, butterflies prefer plants where they can easily get at the flowers' nectar, so don't plant any where the petals form a long column down to the center. Flatter flowers are a better choice.

2. Plant Native Plants

The butterflies and plants in your area likely evolved side by side for many reasons. As a result, your local butterflies are dependent upon the resources provided by native plants. That's why if you really want to attract more butterflies to your yard, you should be planting many native plants! You can find plants native to your region here.

3. Create Rest Stops

Butterflies can't fly all day long! Even they need to rest! And they prefer to do so in the sun, both to warm their wings up and to orient themselves to the sunlight. To help them do this, provide them with flat surfaces in sunny spots. Stepping stones are often a good choice, as both you and the butterflies can use them!

4. Be Careful with Pesticides

There are a lot of good reasons to use less (or no) pesticides in your yard and garden, and attracting more butterflies is one of them! This works because many pesticides (like diazinon and Sevin) contain chemicals that can kill butterflies. By not using those pesticides, butterflies will learn that your yard is a safe place to visit!

5. Provide a Puddling Place

One interesting habit of butterflies is that they like to do "puddling." This is when they land on wet mud or sand and take water and minerals out of the surface. If you want to attract more butterflies to your yard, then you should create areas for them to "puddle." Since sand is more aesthetically appeasing than mud, consider creating a little area of sand in your garden, somewhere where the butterflies can puddle in peace. Beneath a bird bath is not a good idea, though it may seem like an appropriately moist area, but the butterflies may get eaten by the birds!

6. Provide Shelter

Nearly every creature needs some kind of home, and butterflies are included! Between a place to get away from bad weather or to lay their eggs, butterflies rely on safe shelter. You can easily provide this for them by planting dense bushes or by purchasing a butterfly shelter! You're sure to see more butterflies in your yard if they have several nice areas to use as shelter!

Do you usually see a lot of butterflies in the summer? Which kinds are your favorite? Tell me in the comments!

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