Butterfly Gardening The North American Butterfly Association Guide

About this book

Butterfly gardening creates habitats that support butterflies, connecting us with some of the most beautiful creatures in the natural world and bringing new levels of excitement and joy to gardening. In this engaging and accessible guide, lavishly illustrated with more than two hundred colour photographs and maps, accomplished butterfly gardener Jane Hurwitz presents essential information on how to choose and cultivate plants that will attract a range of butterflies to your garden and help sustain all the stages of their life cycles.

An indispensable resource for aspiring and experienced butterfly gardeners alike, Butterfly Gardening: The North American Butterfly Association Guide is the most gardener-friendly source on the subject, covering all the practical details needed to create a vibrant garden habitat that fosters butterflies. It tells you which plants support which butterflies, depending on where you live; it describes what different butterflies require in the garden over the course of their lives; and it shows you how to become a butterfly watcher as well as a butterfly gardener.

While predominantly recommending regionally native plants, the book includes information on non-native plants. It also features informative interviews with experienced butterfly gardeners from across the United States. These gardeners share a wealth of information on plants and practices to draw butterflies to all kinds of gardens – from small suburban gardens to community plots and larger expanses.

Whether you are a gardener who wants to see more butterflies in your garden, a butterfly enthusiast who wants to bring that passion to the garden, or someone who simply wants to make their garden or yard friendlier to Monarchs or other butterflies, this is a must-have guide.

Contents

Preface 7
Acknowledgments 8

I The Basics of Butterfly Gardening 10
1 Getting Started 12
2 Butterfly Basics 32
3 Caterpillar Cuisine 68
4 Butterfly Banquet 112

II Butterfly Gardening by Region: NABA Members Suggest Butterfly Gardening Plants 152
5 Challenges of a Cool Climate: Pacific Northwest Butterfly Gardens 158
      Butterflies Near Seattle 159
      Butterflies Near Portland 162
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for Pacific Northwest Gardens 165
6 Butterfly Gardening with Trees: Eastern Deciduous Forest 170
      Butterflies Near New York City 170
      Butterflies in Massachusetts 179
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for Eastern Deciduous Forest Gardens 181
7 Prairie-Plant Inspired Butterfly Gardens: The Grasslands 188
      Butterflies Near Chicago 188
      Butterflies in Ohio 192
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for Grassland Gardens 196
8 Planting with Purpose: The Central Monarch Flyway 204
      Butterflies Near Houston 205
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for Houston Area Gardens 211
      Butterflies Near Kansas City 218
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for Kansas City Area Gardens 225
9 Year-Round Opportunity: Butterfly Gardening in Florida 230
      Butterflies in a Public Garden 230
      Butterflies in a Small Garden 232
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for Florida Gardens 237
10 Water-Saving Butterfly Gardens: The Western States 244
      Butterflies Near Los Angeles 244
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for California Gardens 247
      Butterflies in Arizona 254
      Recommended Butterfly Plants for Arid West Gardens 263

Plant Inventory 268
Butterfly Scientific and Common Names 272
About the North American Butterfly Association 275
Resources 278
Photo Credits 280
Index 281

Customer Reviews

Biography

Jane Hurwitz is the editor of Butterfly Gardener magazine and the former director of the Butterfly Garden and Habitat Program for the North American Butterfly Association. She lives in northern New Jersey.