There are few things more relaxing and hypnotic than the sight of a butterfly flitting through the flower beds on a hot summer’s day.

Did you know that you can choose plants specifically to attract butterflies into your yard?

For instance, butterflies tend to head towards native flowering plants, and they prefer those that have fragrant red, yellow, pink and purple blossoms. They are also attracted to blooms that are either flat-topped, have clusters of tiny flowers or are long and tubular.

Take a look at our ‘collections’ list on the left hand sidebar, and you will see that we have a wide variety of perennials and shrubs that butterflies are known to love.

Aside from your plant selections, here are some more tips for attracting butterflies to your yard:

• - Put in several plants of one particular type – butterflies are very short-sighted, and are more likely to spot a mass of colour.
• - Plant in the sun – butterflies generally prefer to feed in the sun.
• - Select plants for season-long blossoms – butterflies need to eat throughout the season, so you should try to ensure that they always find something tasty in your yard.
• - Provide a resting spot – flat stones provide a great place for butterflies to bask in the sun and warm their wings for flight.
• - Provide a place for ‘puddling’ – butterflies like to congregate on wet sand or mud, where they drink and extract minerals. A shallow pan containing some coarse sand and placed in the ground will fit the bill, if you remember to ensure that it doesn’t dry out.
• - Avoid chemicals – many insecticides are poisonous to butterflies.
• - Be friendly to caterpillars – most butterfly caterpillars will never cause the kind of leaf damage we associate with some moth caterpillars like bagworms, forest tent caterpillars and gypsy moths, so it’s okay to plant dogwoods, honeysuckle and fruit trees and play host to your future butterflies.

Our colourful photographs and detailed plant descriptions will help make it easy for you to plan your butterfly garden – and when you purchase your plants through CalgaryPlants.com you can order from the comfort of your home and then relax while they are delivered direct to your door.