To enjoy butterflies at there best and to there fullest you really need to understand their life cycle. It can be done in three stages. First during the larva stage the butterfly is a caterpillar and it eats tender leaves. It is often linked with garden pests at this stage because it can cause considerable damage. Though, each species has its lunch preferences. As for example, the monarch butterfly larva eats only butterfly weed leaves. The chrysalis phase is when the caterpillar spins a cocoon and transforms into a butterfly. At this phase it doesn't eat anything. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly in its adult phase. This is the phase where the specie gets interesting. A butterfly live only to reproduce and for no other purpose. To survive the butterfly drinks flower nectar. Some species live only for a few days, while others, like the monarch, undertake a long migration to Mexico in the winters. If you want butterflies to share your garden, you must create a butterfly-friendly environment, which means one that tolerates a few caterpillars. You can't have butterflies devoid of caterpillars.

Landscaping to Attract Butterflies

For having a better landscape o attract butterflies one must choose a sunny location, which is protected from the wind by trees, shrubs, or a mass of flowers. One must make sure about the variety of shrubs that will produce nectar for the butterflies and leaves for the caterpillars. Keep the plant i.e. nectar producing flowers in a half circle, 1.5 to 2 m deep, so that the taller plants are in the back. You should distribute your colors starting with the darker colors on the sides and work the lighter colors towards the center. Just scatter in a few contrasting plants to liven up the scene.

A butterfly bath

To have a wonderful landscaping for the butterflies and to allow butterflies to be in your garden you just have to set up a butterfly bath. You can use a birdbath also with sand in the bottom and just a little bit of water so that the butterflies don't drown out. You should make sure that the sand is always damp. Butterflies invariably add a note of gaiety to each and every garden. Attracting them to yours adds to the pleasures of horticulture. Butterflies are most often considered a barometer of environmental deterioration. They are very sensitive to pesticides, so if you want to attract them into your garden, you should opt for non-toxic maintenance products. Don't forget that butterflies are not only beautiful but they are also very useful. They represent an important link in the food chain of the birds.

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