Create a butterfly friendly space in your garden or start a butterfly garden

[@connietowler3725]

I just saw yesterday that the Orange Milk Weed is coming up in my flower beds. A couple years ago a Butterfly made its cocoon on the railing of the side porch. We were able to watch this from the beginning to the end. How Amazing this was for my daughter and me to watch. A lot of pictures, also had to wrap netting around the railings because the grasshoppers were closing in on the butterfly. It finally dropped to the ground and then it crawled up to my daughters hand and then rested on her shoulder till it flew off. Another one of Gods Beautiful creatures. Oh, and the Hummers too. Thank you for this video 🦋🐝🌺🐦

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Yay - I'm so glad your Orange Milk Weed is coming up - the monarchs will love that. And I agree with you, it never gets old to watch a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. I'm glad your daughter got to see that with you. Crawling on her hand and resting on her shoulder will be something she will never forget. Thank you for sharing! 😊🦋🐛🌺

[@jeanettemortensen4966]

I love that advice! Start small. I can do that! Thank you for showing us your beautiful garden and your words of encouragement.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Yay! That is exactly what I did ... I started small. In the first two months I had different butterflies visit the garden and it was so exciting! Good luck and have fun as you venture forward in the garden! 😊🦋🐛🌺

[@AnjaliNair-n6t]

Never knew about their movement pattern ! Thank you for mentioning that. I am in the tropics and specifically in one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. September has been a swarm of butterflies and migrating dragonflies in our region. But it is a lot more subdued now due to the October rains. Something I have noticed in my yard is that there are butterflies that go from the size of a bee all the way to that of a sparrow. Different size butterflies find different types of flowers more adapted to their sizes so having a diversity of flower sizes can also help increase the diversity of butterflies in your space.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Thank you for your comment! I so agree with what you said about diversity of plants. I have found this to be true in my yard. What a joy to be in a biodiversity hotspot! 👍😊

[@boostjunkieMike]

Beautiful 😍 thanks for sharing 👌🏾😎👍🏾👍🏾👏🏾

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Thank you! 😊

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

Bumblebees were my gateway insect but I'm trying to do more for whatever butterflies I can get to come to my yard in the middle of the city. I'm in one of the few areas of the US that doesn't actually get monarchs really, so the only native butterflies I have are skippers and grey hairstreaks. We do have a western tiger swallowtail, but its preferred host plants are mostly water-loving trees so I'm trying to look for a shrub-sized willow that they might be able to use (but in the city honestly I don't see a corridor for them to even get to my yard). There are so many endangered butterflies besides monarchs, I encourage everyone to try and find out what their local endangered species are. And don't forget about native bunch grasses and debris piles for overwintering habitat!

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

You know, butterflies will visit even if you only have nectar plants. I don't have a host plant for the stunning Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, but someone does because they will visit my nectar plants. And I enjoy both Skippers and Grey Hairstreaks ... the little greys are interesting to watch. Hear hear to your comment of looking into local species - that is an extremely important part! And you supporting bumblebees is also very important for local pollination. 😊🦋🐛🌺

[@wendy5006]

Congrats on a really good instructional video on butterflies 101! Not sure if you've ever found or watched another Houston 9a utuber called Jo's Cottage Garden? She also has planted for butterflies, etc mostly attempting the use of natives. Her garden has obviously been developed over time so I'm still awed at how much you have accomplished in just two years! My small garden area has evolved into so many various directions based on my interest of the season. I've gone through the high density fruit tree phase (didn't work out for me), edible garden phase (too many critters enjoyed my hard work so not a fan), the orchid and bromiliad garden phase (freeze in the 80's wiped those out), the butterfly/hummingbird garden phase, the flower garden phase and currently the rose garden phase. The last three have been most enjoyable. So as a result, there are remnants of each still existing which survived any freezes. Currently my small garden looks like a garden nursery explosion!

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I would wager your garden looks fantastic! It seems it would be fun to try out different types of gardens like you have done. That way a person doesn't get bored. When my children were small we had a very small vegetable garden and the critters wouldn't leave that alone either. We also tried lemon and lime trees about 20 years ago, but that didn't really work out. I got one lemon the size of a grapefruit and that was it. LOL! Roses are so wonderful - my parents had a large rose garden that they lovingly tended to for years. I have seen Jo's Cottage Garden and I think it is so fabulous another Houstonian is posting garden videos! I have been adding Texas native plants gradually and have been so surprised with how much more beneficial they are to the landscape. Nurseries can be stinkers though because sometimes they will label a plant as "native" when it isn't a Texas native. It might be native to Florida, etc. I noticed that Jo has mentioned plants being native that way. The USDA is the definitive source I guess for state natives, but I also like to check the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center for Texas native plants. Thanks for all your encouragement and happy gardening! May you find that perfect rose plant for you! 😊🦋🐛🌺

[@wendy5006]

@Butterflies & Birds in the Backyard hmmm, wonder if your lemon tree was a Ponderosa Lemon. Those do grow really large and not so great fruit. I had one of those many moons ago. What I've had for several years now growing in a large container is a Meyer's Lemon. It produces beautiful lemons each year. Sadly, I don't use lemons often. Since you are interested in natives, I would assume you've checked out and have been to Joshua's Native Plants in the Heights?

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I have toyed with getting a small lemon tree and growing it in a container. (Citrus is the host plant to the Giant Swallowtail!) We use lemons often, so that is why I was hoping a lemon tree would work out for us. But, that was before I put anything in pots. I might have to reconsider! I haven't been to Joshua's Native Plants yet ... I have checked out their website a couple of times, but just haven't made it there yet.

[@lilypad342]

Just found this, and I’m thankful! I think this video is so fun! I love your notes!! I need them and I appreciate that. I have never heard of Gregg’s Mist but that’s a lovely plant! I just began a pollinator/ butterfly garden and I did indeed start small! But already hummingbirds butterflies and bees are more abundant. I’m glad I found you! BTW I’m I. Cleveland Ohio zone 6

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Hello - I am really happy you found my channel too! 😊 That is fantastic that you started a pollinator / butterfly garden! It is also really neat that you already observe your pollinators are more abundant. We found that we had way more diversity in the pollinators in our backyard when we started our butterfly garden also. We have a type of bee in our yard now that we call "ugly bee" 🤣 because it has a flat circular face with 3 circles (we call them eyes). It patrols and hovers around flowers that it appears to be either protecting or claiming for its own. It will run off other insects and bees except for the very large bumble bees. Nature is just so fun to watch. Best wishes and happy gardening in your Cleveland Ohio Zone 6 garden! 😊🦋🐛🌺🐦

[@caranwysong3065]

Very informative! I didn't know butterflies don't fly until around 70 degrees.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

That is when they will come out and fly (unless of course if it is bad weather). Sometimes you will see butterflies sunning themselves in full sun when the temperatures are in the 60s, and when they soak up enough of the sun's warmth they will also fly. "Butterflies are cold-blooded and need the light from the sun to warm the muscles they use to fly."

[@wesleyhackney]

Nice primer on setting up a butterfly garden. You are right about starting small and not getting overwhelmed with too much to keep up with that’s always my problem

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Starting small helped me so much. I felt like I could really tackle more because of that one thing! 😊🦋🐛🌺

[@tammiedunbar6166]

Mexican Sun flowers &. Zinnias are the two main nectar plants that the butterflies in my garden favor at the present time. I still haven't seen any monarch butterflies yet here in my garden from this Spring till the present. Perhaps I'll see some monarch butterflies on their fall migration I saw two monarchs last September feeding on the Mexican Sunflowers for a couple of days before they continued on their journey. I read an article recently where a scientist had discovered a population of Monarchs who overwintered in a Swamp in South Carolina.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Those are two great flowers for butterflies! I didn't get any zinnias planted this year, and I regretted not having them in the garden.

[@JaneDoe-ft8sz]

Love the post it notes!!

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You know, I was in the Computer Industry for a good portion of my career. I just don't want to start editing videos. We will see what wins out though. I know I should edit and make my videos look better, but I have fun in the garden and I want to share that unvarnished. I know people don't like that as much. So ... post-it notes were the low-tech need in this video. Too funny! 🤣😊🦋🐛🌺

[@JaneDoe-ft8sz]

@@ButterfliesNBirds you won't make everyone happy anyway so you may as well do it the way you enjoy.

[@beckydecapua8231]

Great video really enjoyed it

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Thank you and I'm really glad you enjoyed it! 😊🦋🐛🌺

[@LucyWebster-vi6yg]

I also live in Houston 💗 What soil do you use in your butterfly garden?

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Hello! It is fun to cross paths with another Houston area gardener! 😊 I use raised bed soil I purchased from Home Depot, miracle Grow garden soil, and then compost we made and some we purchase. I put down compost each spring.