Which Flowers Attract Butterflies:

摘要

MERELY OBSERVING flowers in a garden on a warm, sunny summer day will show you which flowers attract butterflies. Because different species of butterflies are in flight at varying times over the course of the warmer months, a single visit to a gardenor garden center will not give you the knowledge needed to plan an effective butterfly garden, but it can be a valuable exercise in fine-tuning your plant choices once you have established a basic garden. Think like a butterfly and consider the followingfeatures of flower morphology when choosing nectar plants for your garden:FLOWER SHAPE AND ARRANGEMENTThe relationship between a butterfly species and the food it (and its caterpillars) require has developed over millions of years and reflects adaptations by butterfly and plant. Some flowers are shaped in a way that allows butterflies to reach their nectar, but not all. Butterflies with long tongues, such as swallowtails and many skippers, can access nectar from deep flowers. Smaller butterflies tend to havePlants that produce clusters of flowers make for more efficient feeding for butterflies. Here, a painted lady searches for nectar on a butterfly bush (Buddleiasp.).