Draw these beautiful pollinators to your yard with our seven secrets for a successful monarch garden.
It’s no secret that filling your garden withpollinator-friendly plantswill encourage an array of beautifuland beneficialwinged guests to visit.
But have you considered how to attract monarch butterflies specifically?
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
Make your garden a more welcoming haven for monarchs with these seven tips.
Make Milkweed Your Focus
What flowers do monarch butterflies like best?
The answer is easy:milkweed.
Credit: J Wilde
Planting thishardy perennialis the best thing the average gardener can do to help monarchs.
Butterflies are especially susceptible, so it’s crucial toavoid the use of any toxinsin your monarch habitat.
Instead, use organic pest- and weed-control methods that won’t harm pollinators.
Credit: Jay Wilde
Which means these grown-up butterflies need more to feed on.
And, of course, milkweed.
Fill your garden witha rainbow of colorful blooms, too.
Resist the urge to evenly diffuse colors throughout your design scheme, as beautiful as this arrangement may be.
Instead, group your plantings to form large drifts of solid color.
(This is especially common during periods of drought and high heat.)
Even a puddle is probably too deep; you will only find butterflies hydrating around the edges of it.
Add minerals periodically by sprinkling salt, compost, or small pieces of decomposing fruit on top.
This is why they’re only active during the warmest parts of the day.
Give Monarchs Shelter and Protection
Surround your monarch habitat with protective plants to shield butterflies from wild weather.
They turn clear just as the butterfly is about to hatchyou can see the dark butterfly coiled inside!
If you find a chrysalis that’s exposed or in danger of being damaged, gently relocate it.
