Butterflies everywhere
BUTTERFLY MAGNETS: All pentas (annuals also known as star clusters) attract butterflies, as the name of this variety - Butterfly Mix - reminds you.
Courtesy of the National Garden Bureau
On Saturday, in Kingsville, Mo. (about 30 miles east of Kansas City) opened a .
Actually, they鈥檙e calling it an "Insectaries Garden" because it will attract other pollinating and beneficial insects as well as butterflies. Among the butterfly-approved flowers in the garden, horticulturists have taken care to include many native plants such as (Echinacea pallida).
My favorite butterfly conservatory is the at in Pine Mountain, Ga., an hour southwest of Atlanta. I can spend hours there.
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington has an excellent . It also has a current exhibit that I can鈥檛 wait to . It has stirred up a bit of because the Smithsonian is charging a $6 admission fee.
If you鈥檇 like to create your own butterfly garden, there are a number of websites that provide all the information 鈥� and inspiration 鈥� you鈥檒l need:
In my experience, there are two main rules to keep in mind if you鈥檙e serious about encouraging butterflies to make their home in your yard from spring until fall: 1) Have one or more butterfly favorites in bloom at all times, starting with pansies in spring and maybe ending with in the fall. 2.) Include plants that the caterpillars will use for food 鈥� such as the that Powell Gardens has planted.
And if you鈥檇 like to visit some of the ones designed by professionals, maintains a list of them around the world. There鈥檚 hardly anywhere you might travel that doesn鈥檛 have a large butterfly garden open to the public from Africa to northern Europe.
And I can see why. Everyone - even kids - loves to watch these winged jewels.