The monarch butterfly used to spellbound me when I was a child. Being brought up on a grain and livestock farm with acres and acres of trees and crops there was always an abundance of butterfly's to study. We had a creek that ran through our property that had milkweed plants in abundance. the favorite of the monarch butterfly. As I have moved away from the farm and now live in a city a butterfly citing is far more rare. Actually, I have decided to do something about hat in my own back yard. While I have a butterfly bush and it does attract butterfly's I want to do more. So, this year I have plans to plant a mid-sized butterfly garden bed. I thought I would share some tips and a great reference piece that I found.

As I mentioned earlier, the butterfly bush (Buddleia davisii) is a must, along with purple the cone flower (Echinacea purpurea). Herbs with multiple small flowers and pentas (Pentas lanceolata) will also enhance your butterfly garden. The key is to provide nectar producing plants that have long bloom periods.

Here is a good reference article published by the Clemson Extension Service. It lists plants, trees, shrubs and annuals that make great hosts for our winged friends. http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1701.htm