Our butterfly garden . . .

Butterfly Garden

""Happiness is a butterfly,

which when pursued,

is always just beyond your grasp,

but which, if you will sit down quietly,

may alight upon you."

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864)

Thanks to Trisha Haislar, our wonderful Master Gardeners, and members of the Collinsville Garden Club for creating a Butterfly Garden for all to enjoy!

What Makes a Butterfly Garden? ~

Butterflies have four distinct life cycle stages:

Butterfly eggs on a leaf

Butterfly larvae

Butterfly chrysalis

Butterfly adult

If you build a habitat, they will come ~

Diversity is the key to creating a perfect habitat for the butterfly. Their needs are the same as most creatures great and small ~ food, water, shelter, and sun. The food needs of the caterpillar (larvae) is different from the adult. Different species of butterflies also have different needs. The adults are very specific as to the plants where they will lay their eggs. A butterfly garden can be created to be more attractive for the adults to lay their eggs for the larvae to feast, or more attractive for adults to sup on the nectar of various flowers, or a sanctuary for all to thrive.

Chart of larvae food plants Univ. of Illinois Extension

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Adult butterflies need nectar plants and thrive when there is a large abundance of multiple groupings of plants.

Nectar plants Univ. of Illinois Extension

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Sun worshipers ~

Butterflies need sunshine and a lot of it. Why, you may ask? They are cold-blooded insects that require the sun to warm their bodies beginning early in the morning. One of the reasons they thrive at the D.D. Collins House is the brick walkway that winds through the flower garden areas.

Foremost, butterflies need dark rocks, brick and mulch to warm their bodies early in the day. Have you ever seen a butterfly with its wings spread open, or with a wing cocked at an angle? Different species use different methods to get the most warmth to their body. They need bushes and trees as shelter. Damp areas in the garden as well as leaves provide water. Now we have a perfect habitat for butterflies!