Why Design a Butterfly Garden

“Butterflies have an unequaled ability to inject an aura of magic and wonder into the heart of the mundane“

Craig Heugel

Why do we need butterflies in the garden?

Butterflies not only invoke feelings of joy, happiness and wonderment they are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem. These wonderful delicate creatures are also a barometer of just how diverse and clean the garden is. Butterflies will not visit gardeners who are using strong chemicals to keep control of nature – they are extremely sensitive to pesticides and other chemicals. So if you have butterflies in your garden then it is a sure sign that you don’t use the nasty stuff and that your ecology is on track.

Butterflies are one of many pollinators that visit the garden in search of food, shelter, water, and a place to lay their eggs. Without them, our plants suffer and so does the rest of the environment. As far as the food chain goes butterflies are fairly low down and as such are an important food for bats, birds, lizards, and spiders. By encouraging them into your garden you are not only enjoying their beauty but you are providing the necessary food for other animals in the food chain. As an added bonus bringing butterflies into your garden will also bring native bees, hummingbirds, and other wildlife that relies on a thriving ecosystem.

Butterflies need your help to survive. Many butterflies like the South African Wolkberg Zulu butterfly and the Karner blue butterfly are critically endangered due to loss of habitat. By planting a butterfly garden you will be helping to support these fascinating creatures.

How to encourage butterflies into your garden

Butterflies require certain plants to survive. Many also have a very distinct range. So anyone wanting to encourage butterflies into their garden needs to research which butterflies are endemic to their area and the support species needs to encourage them to lay eggs, rest, take shelter and feed.

For the purpose of this article we have taken the butterflies endemic to Southern Queensland Australia as our base but there are many resources available online to assist with identifying the butterflies and moths in your area. In our area, we have all members of the 5 butterfly families represented so we can begin designing with them in mind.

Butterfly Garden Basics

A small but simple corner of your garden can be dedicated to butterflies. This area ideally will get full sun and be protected from wind.

Plants used in the above design from Better Homes and Gardens are listed below.

• A = Phlox Paniculata
• B = Penistomen Prairie Dust
• C = Bee Balm
• D = Butterfly Bush
• E = Correopsus Auriculata
• F = Sedum
• G = Daisy

All plants provide both habitat, shelter and food source for both adult and lavae. The addition of some rocks to the outer edge will provide a space for rest and if you choose your rocks carefully to ensure there is a bowl shape to at least one of them a water collection will provide necessary drinking space for the butterflies.

While there is nothing wrong with the design above being successfully integrated into most backyards, it does not take into consideration our permaculture principles and therefore falls short of being a system that will maintain itself with minimal input from the land owner. I think we can do better.

An integrated butterfly design

The image above not only provides multiple flowering plants but much much more. Let’s examine it.

1. The orientation of the main path to the North intentionally creates a sun trap both in summer but more importantly in winter. The planting plan is devised to stagger heights to ensure all plants get the appropriate amount of sun.
2. The sun trap aligned with the plants will increase the microclimate and humidity ensuring the plants have optimized opportunity with the least amount of water used.
3. Rocks have been strategically placed to provide a sunny position at opposite times of day for invertebrates and pollinators to rest.
4. The birdbath is provided to ensure water is available to not only birds but also butterflies, bees, and invertebrates.
5. The majority planting of perennial plants means that something is always in flower – ensuring that butterflies and bees have a constant source of food.
6. The use of a few annuals provides additional high energy food for butterflies and an opportunity for the gardener to make changes year on year to encourage interaction and interest.
7. The entire design is centered around the clothesline to make the weekly washing more appealing to all the senses.
8. Some edibles are included to encourage interaction with plants.
9. A windbreak is created on the southern side of the garden with the use of mock orange and mountain pepper.
10. Mountain Pepper bark is rough and provides an egg-laying opportunity to butterflies.
11. English Lavender is used to add attractive and moth deterring scent to the laundry that brushes over it particularly sheets and towels.
12. Medicinal plantings of Mugwort, Echinacea, Camomile, and Calendula add extra interest.
13. Edges are planted with King Stropharia Mushrooms as not only a food source for humans but also to increase edge effect with strong mycelium holding additional water and nutrients for plants.
14. Paths are raised above the height of planting beds to capture runoff of rain events and direct it to the garden area.
15. The use of a mandala pattern increases the number of possible plantings and also allows for areas of intense soil preparation. Plantings are grouped together based on their water and nutrient needs.
16. The western side of the garden has thick grasses such as Lomandra and New Zealand Flax and taller shrubs to provide heat protection to more tender plants and flowers.
17. Many functions are stacked together to increase the diversity of the entire system and reduce the chance of failure.
18. The watering system can be added via drip irrigation at establishment or a later date if necessary.
19. Heavy mulching of soils will assist in building humus and retain water in hotter conditions.
20. Habitat has been created for many animals, insects, and pollinators.

Permaculture teaches us to look at many aspects in our designs and ensure that we design with extremes in mind. The site being used for this design suffers from extreme cold winds in winter coming from the South and South west. The site has been affected by drought for the last 3 years but the design takes advantage of good and thoughtful plant selection to maximise the opportunity for success. The area of the entire design is easily modified if necessary but currently measures 11.5 metres x 12metres.

The design is aesthetically pleasing and encourages interaction on many levels. It is also possible to place seating on the inner circular path when the clothes line is not in use.

The design is located close to existing fruit trees that will benefit from the design. All in all this design provides a much better and more comprehensive ecosystem full of life and diversity.

If you would like the planting list for this design you can download it here.

Our Design it Yourself E-Course will teach you how to create designs like this. We believe everyone should have access to this information. Click on the link above and follow the prompts.