How to Attract Butterflies to Your GardenHow to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden Suzanne Wilson, from Mooloolah Landcare Nursery, shares her expertise on attracting butterflies to your garden. Creating a Butterfly Oasis * Provide a water source: Place a shallow water bowl with pebbles for butterflies to drink and rest on. * Plant host plants: Butterflies need specific plants to lay their eggs and feed their caterpillars. Local Australian plants, such as: * Small plants: Koala Bells, Mazus, Fan Flowers, Native Violets, Coleus, Yellow Buttons, Emu’s Foot, Goodenias, Love Flowers, Kangaroo Grass, Lomandra, Dianellas * Shrubs: Bottlebrushes, native indigo, sago flower, ziera, coffee bush, native plumbago, native senna, palm lilies, native rosemary, tea trees * Vines: Hoya, native sarparilla, Kennedia Butterfly Facts * Butterflies have excellent color vision and can see infrared. * Butterfly eggs are beautiful viewed under magnification. * Caterpillars molt several times before growing into adults. * Pupae (chrysalises) come in various colors, including gold. * Butterflies indicate environmental health. * Around 160 butterfly species have been observed locally, with 31 common species most likely to be encountered. Before Squishing a Caterpillar Remember, those caterpillars you might remove from your plants have the potential to turn into beautiful butterflies. More Information For more tips and to join the Gardens for Wildlife program, visit the Mooloolah River Landcare Nursery. You may even spot some butterflies while you’re there.
Contribution by Suzanne Wilson, Mooloolah Landcare Nursery
EVERYONE loves to see butterflies fluttering through their garden and resting on a flower or plant. But how do we ensure that these beautiful creatures return regularly?
You can start by placing a shallow water bowl with some pebbles so that the butterflies can rest and drink.
Butterflies love flowers for their nectar and seek out the right host plants to lay their eggs and feed the emerging caterpillars.
By planting the right local Australian plants we support this life cycle.
Below are some smaller Australian plants that create a habitat that provides both nectar for butterflies and food for the emerging caterpillars.
Small plants: Koala Bells, Mazus, Fan Flowers, Native Violets, Coleus, Yellow Buttons, Emu’s Foot, Goodenias, Love Flowers, Native grasses – Kangaroo Grass, Lomandra and Dianellas.
Shrubs: Bottlebrushes, native indigo, sago flower, ziera, coffee bush, native plumbago, native senna, palm lilies, native rosemary, tea trees.
Vines: Hoya, native sarparilla, Kennedia.
Before you know it, you’ll be spending more time outside and enjoying the butterflies that visit you.
You may even learn some of their names: Blue Triangle, Orchard Swallowtail, Caper White, Fiery Jewel, Common Crow, and The Australian Painted Lady.
A few quick facts: Butterflies have excellent color vision. They can even see colors that are invisible to humans, such as infrared.
Take a look at butterfly eggs through a magnifying glass or microscope, they are beautiful.
Caterpillars molt several times to grow larger.
When a caterpillar is fully grown, it turns into a chrysalis.
Pupae come in many colors, including gold. Butterflies are a good indicator of the health of the environment.
About 160 different butterfly species have been observed in the area.
But you’re more likely to encounter 31 common species.
Before you squash the caterpillar on your plant, remember that it can develop into a beautiful butterfly.
For more information on what to plant or to become a member of our Gardens for Wildlife, visit Mooloolah River Landcare Nursery. You might even see some butterflies.
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