Early in the summer, we went hiking on our Colorado road trip. My kids noticed a beautiful black, white and purple butterfly on one of the trails. We had never seen a butterfly like that before – and it captured the kids’ attention for about 15 minutes before flying away. Everyone wished we had butterflies like that around our house. That little Colorado butterfly is what inspired us to plant a butterfly garden.
A butterfly garden is just like a regular flower garden – except it is full of specific flowers, herbs and plants that attract butterflies. I did a bit of research and made a list of common butterfly garden plants. My list (see below) includes annual and perennial flowers and herbs that attract butterflies. I visited my local nursery to see which ones I could find to plant in our garden. I bolded the names of the flowers we planted in our butterfly garden.
Flowers and Plants that Attract Butterflies
Aster
Butterfly bush
Calendula
Cosmos
Daylily
Delphinium
Dianthus
Goldenrod
Hollyhock
Lavender
Marigold
Oregano
Parsley
Phlox
Coneflower (Echinacea)
Queen Anne’s lace
Sage
Shasta daisy
Verbena
Yarrow
Zinnia
*Butterfly Garden Tip: It is helpful to go organic in the garden. When you use powerful toxic chemicals to kill harmful garden insects, it kills the good insects (like butterflies), too. An organic gardening approach is safer for the ecosystem. Plus, you won’t risk exposing yourself, family, and pets to poisonous chemicals.
Our Butterfly Garden Success.
It took less than a week for the butterflies to start showing up at our garden. Since we planted the butterfly garden, we have seen at least 3 different species of butterfly out there. We have lived in our house for three summers now, and this is the first year butterflies have visited us. I know it has everything to do with our flower garden.
Next year, my family will plant even more of the flowers, plants and herbs that attract our beautiful winged guests. My kids love to help water the flowers.
[bctt tweet=”How To Plant a Butterfly Garden – Flowers and Herbs That Attract Butterflies! #Gardening #FaveCrafters” username=”momfindsout”]
Gardening with less chemicals is healthier for the butterflies, and for everyone else in the environment.
Need some inspiration for your garden? Check out DIYIdeaCenter.com for all sorts of gardening ideas!
What are some ways your family is enjoying the outdoors this summer? Does your family enjoy raising a garden? Going on family picnics? Hosting barbeque parties?
Julie Wood says
We enjoy going to the Lake and having a picnic and going swimming and floating on our float toys. We also like taking walks and riding our bikes!
Mami2jcn says
We enjoy walking on the beach in the summertime.
Stephanie says
we love going to the poo;
Janet W. says
We love to play tennis outdoors in the summer time!
shelly peterson says
we love going swimming.
Betsy Barnes says
My family loves spending time at the river. We cookout at the river every weekend, then canoe, fish and swim. We often spend the entire day there, ending with sitting around a fire pit, roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. 🙂
Elena says
we like going to the beach
Kristen says
We like swimming.
Margaret Smith says
We love going camping.
Jessie C. says
We like swimming and biking.
steven weber says
We love going to the beach and state fair.
Lea says
We like to go to the park. We also like to go to the fair during the summer and swimming.
Elle says
We like to spend time together at the beach.
Natalie says
My family and I love going for long walks around a lake and bike rides!!
crystal says
cooking/grilling outside and working in the garden
Linda Kish says
We swim in our pool.
Ann Fantom says
We like to go on family bike rides
Shannon says
I like going to Maymont Park in the summer.
jan says
getting out to the national parks and camping
Cheryl says
We enjoy visiting state and national parks and hiking their trails.
STEFANIE FOOTE says
We enjoy spending time outdoors swimming and going to family bbqs.
Colleen Boudreau says
We enjoy having BBQ’s.
RONDA PARKE says
Love working in flowers, trees and plants
Kate F. says
We enjoy taking our dogs on walks during the summer.
Darlene Carbajal says
My family and I enjoy going to the beach together. 🙂
Theresa Jenkins says
as a family we enjoy camping together but my fav summer pastime is watching the grandkids poolside.
jose benavides says
We like playing basketball in the summertime and having cookouts..
Angela Benedict says
We enjoy having a garden !
Beth Hill says
We all go to our county fair together. Love to walk thru the animal barns.
kjasus says
we enjoy hanging out at the beach
Lisa Brown says
we enjoy staying out later in the day and being active
Tari Lawson says
We enjoy hiking.
Tracy W. says
We love going to the beach.
Cynthia C says
We enjoy cook outs and neighborhood walks.
MaryAnn says
We love swimming
Tammy S says
We like to go to our local park and play on the play structure and feed the ducks in the pond.
Tammy Arnold says
We like to go to the beach and walk in the surf. Also my husband makes me plant Zinnias every year since he saw that the butterflys like them,
chris z says
we like going to the beach
Deborah Wellenstein says
We enjoy going to the beach and walking along the shore.
Tarah says
We love to just be outside! We try to eat & cook outside as much as we can, swim, talk walks, play at the park!
Chrystal D says
We like walking in the evenings and grilling out.
Suzanne K says
I enjoy walks in the local botanic garden and picking fresh blackberries from my own garden
paige chandler says
We like to get ice cream cones and people watch while we eat them
Tina Marie says
My family and I enjoy hanging out in the backyard in the summertime. Thanks for the giveaway!
Martha Holland says
We love to go the creek and splash around in the water.
James Robert says
We enjoy the few parks around our home and the kids need to run off lots of energy
Dara Nix says
We love going to the beach and looking for seashells!
Linda G. says
We like to ride bikes together
Mary Beth Elderton says
We love swimming!
Min K says
We’ll be enjoying the pool.
Stephanie V. says
swimming and walking together as a family
Crystal F says
We are a big softball family so we get out there and throw the ball around when there is not practice or games. Thank you!
Beak says
Gnomes
Kelly Tupick says
My family and i enjoy going kayaking together. It’s something we all have fun doing!
Jennifer Reed says
I visited Finish Dishwashing and something my family and I enjoy doing outdoors in the summertime is visiting local festivals and fairs in our area.
mysweetiepiepie says
In the summer, we enjoy having a veggie garden.
More accurately, we enjoy eating from the veggie garden :+)
Laura C says
We are learning to swim this summer, so we love the pool right now!
Denise B. says
We live in Kissimmee, FL. So, we actually have our fun during cooler, non-tourist season time. We like doing all the same things the tourists do in the area.
Michelle Weaver says
Our family enjoys swimming and playing volleyball in the summer!
Isabella T. says
We looove swimming in the apartment pool. Hopefully one day it’ll be the beach or our own pool instead. 🙂
Alena Svetelska says
Our family enjoy going to swimming to close by lake and riding bikes.
Bobbie Smith says
What my family loves to do outdoors in the summer time is taking walks and going for Gator Rides, we leave out in a very rural area, so we can take all of nature in during our walks and rides. We also enjoy playing corn hole, that definitely brings the family closer together
Barbara Montag says
Visited the post.
We all enjoy walking in the woods in the summer – so much to see!
thank you
mickeyfan says
We farm, so there is no shortage of things to do outside in the summertime. Tomorrow’s “fun” includes laying out irrigation pipe!
Nicole says
Wow, you farmers really know how to put the “F” in fun! 🙂 Good luck with your irrigation pipe. Sounds like a lot of hard work. Thanks for stopping by! -Nicole
heather says
We enjoy going down the river during the summer.
Sarah Hirsch says
we like swimming in the summertime
shelby says
We love to have picnics all summer long!
sara wood says
My family loves to go for bike rides and going to the beach.
Diane Cooper says
My family enjoys swimming, fishing, and boating in the summertime.
Rita Spratlen says
We love to walk on the beach and have BBQ’s. I love to garden and read outside too.
Nancy says
We enjoy hiking and biking in the nearby parks.
Ellie W says
We enjoy camping and fishing.
Fiona N says
We love hiking and fishing!!
Thank You for the chace
Bridget Heiple Reich says
My kids love to go swimming! 🙂
Robby Rob says
we love to go camping
Kimberley Meier says
We love taking our dogs for walks down by the Mississippi River!
mariem says
we enjoy eating dinner outside
Michelle says
I love sitting outside at night just relaxing. I also enjoy gardening during the day!
bianca roman says
getting in the kiddie pool!!! idk but it’s always so fun. i think we need to upgrade haha
Steve P says
We enjoy swimming in a nearby river.
Natalie Brown says
Hi! We enjoy swimming. Whether it’s the beach or the pool, it’s always fun & refreshing! Thank-you!!
Alona Y says
We love taking camping trips to the river or day trips to the lake.
shaunie says
would have to say soccer is what we enjoy
Leigh Anne Borders says
We enjoy hiking with our dogs.
Cassandra Eastman says
We love going to the river, swimming and having picnics!
Kim Henrichs says
We love gardening and hiking the trails in the mountains around this area.
Richelle says
We enjoy gardening as well! We have raspberry bushes, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, cukes, lots of peppers, onions, garlic, beans….I could go on 🙂
Nicole says
Yum! Your garden sounds so good. I keep wishing we’d plant berry bushes. It seems like every time I finally plant berries, we move to a different house before I ever get to enjoy picking them. LOL My zucchini is going CRAZY right now, we are getting way too much. I thought I had planted half zucchini, half yellow squash. Turns out it is ALL zucchini. No squash at all – and that is my favorite. Enjoy your harvest! 🙂 — Nicole
Tami Lewis says
We love to swim at our friend’s house.
Pat says
We enjoy hiking and swimming in the summer.
Deb Ford says
We have really been enjoying swiming in the pool this summer
courtney b says
we like to have bbqs and swim outside! and then do picnics at the park!
latanya says
We like playing at the park
Nina K says
Taking walks/hikes outside
Douglas Houston says
We love going to the beach and playing in the waves.
Christy says
We like to go to baseball and softball games.
Ceinwyn R says
We really enjoy visiting the splash park.
Birdiebee says
The link for Vote Mom Always Finds Out is not working properly to vote.
Shelley P says
We love going camping and gardening.
Susie says
We spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer.
Jill Myrick says
We love spending the day at the lake fishing, swimming and cooking out.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
Robin says
We like to take a hike in the woods.
Christy Peeples DuBois says
It is not the picket fence vote. It’s he other one. The picket fence vote works fine for me.
Nicole says
Thanks for clicking it. I think that voting period just ended so I need to take that option off. It’s totally my fault, I thank you for bringing it to my attention so I can fix it. -Nicole
Daniel M says
we like hiking and biking
Susan Smith says
We like to ride bikes together.
Deb C says
We enjoy gardening and grilling outdoors in the summer.
BILL HOFF says
Grill ribeyes and watch the fire flies
sheila ressel says
Our family likes to go boating in the summertime.
christine jessamine says
we love to go swimming
DeeAnn S says
Fishing and picnicking are popular outdoor summer activities.
RICHARD HICKS says
We enjoy going to the lake and boating.
Carol says
We go swimming.
Lorena Keech says
We love walking our dogs on the nearby nature trail.
Whitney redd says
My daughter and I love doing science projects at home! Super bubbles. Homemade slimes and concoctions. Anything glowing.
Annemarie Z. says
We hosted several barbeques and hung out at the pool!
Cheryl B. says
We enjoy geocaching and hiking during the Summer.
tina reynolds says
We love going geocaching and grilling out
Mia says
I love hiking with my family outside in the summer!
ria says
we love picnics in the park
Sarah Cool says
We enjoy swimming and bbq’ing in the summertime
Della Barker says
We enjoy grilling out and sitting around a campfire.
Treasure says
Picnics are my favorite summer family activity. Family, food and fun makes many memories!
Dawn Monroe says
I enjoy taking my grandkids on nature walks and enjoy camping and fishing with my older kids.
Lorayne Gothard says
During the summertime we like to go to the pool, and also see a lot of movies!!
Jake B says
We go on walks to the park a few blocks down the street together.
Shannon says
We like watching the wildlife and taking photos.
Kamla L. says
We like having large family get togethers for BBQ and other outdoor parties.
April V. says
We have a small rose garden (among other flowers) in our backyard and since we go organic as well we have to constantly keep up with weeds and the like so we manage it all year round, not just in the summertime. It is work but we do it because we love it.
Debra Guillen says
My family and I love camping together.
Michelle S says
We love having cookouts.
Stephanie Grant says
We enjoy our summer by swimming in our pool and spending many weekends camping on the beautiful lakes and state parks here in Arkansas! There is nothing better than a weekend staycation digging for diamonds or riding the rapids 🙂
Vicki D. says
We love to go to a calm lake, sit back, and enjoy the view. We especially love the reflection of the houses and tress in the lakes. Sometimes, we will barbecue while we are there.
Leah B says
We love spreading out a blanket on the lawn and letting our little one roll around.
Heather Sorrell says
We love looking for frogs at night, and trying to catch lightning bugs. My daughter caught four in just one night. They are amazing creatures!
Russell Moore says
We like to rent a cabin somewhere very isolated and zone out.
Geoff K says
We love to go hiking and fishing in the summer, especially in the White Mountains of New Hampshire!
Amanda Sakovitz says
we love going for walks!
Julieh says
We love spending time together camping and hiking in the summer
Sarah C says
We love to go hiking in the summer.
CharityS says
We love to ride our bikes in the park.
Donna L says
We enjoy swimming in our pool.
Sharon says
We enjoy sitting outside and having a barbecue.
Candie L says
We enjoy playing frisbee golf Thank you
kathy pease says
we love to go swimming in our pool and barbeque
Laurie Nykaza says
We love to bbq 3-4 times a week and hang out at the beach too its always so much fun.
Angela P. says
I love going to the pool with my family in the summertime.
Buddy Garrett says
We enjoy horseback riding.
Kim Holsapple says
Catching Chesapeake Blue Crabs in the Chesapeake Bay and then steaming them! So yummy!
Leanne Godfrey says
My family and I enjoy going to the local water park in the summer and enjoying the water slides!
Dorothy "DJ" Reynolds says
We like to go for hikes and we go by the dam here in town and look at the fish jumping.
Tim says
We really enjoy going miniature golfing as a family and taking walks after diner.
Sarah L says
We like swimming and hiking the best. (picnic added of course)
Thanks for the contest.
Sarah L says
subscribe email: slehan at myway dot com
Barbara Long says
We enjoy camping and hiking during the summer months.
[email protected]
Lily Kwan says
We like to have barbecues.
Heather says
I saw this as I was reading another article on your site and I had to look! I can’t wait for spring and summer! This little garden is so cute and contains some of my favorite flowers, especially the zinnas!
Nicole says
I’m excited to see if any of the perennials in the butterfly garden survived the cold winter. I can’t wait for this summer’s planting season. I miss my flowers! Thanks for your comments!
JR FrugalMom says
I so want to make a butterfly garden like this. We just planted a bunch of flowers, and I actually see more butterflies.
Donna @ Modern on Monticello says
I could really use this list of butterfly plants for my own garden. Thanks for sharing. #HomeMattersParty
Sara says
What a fun idea! My kids would love to do this! #HomeMattersParty
Emily @DomesticDeadline.com says
Pinning this for when we get to working on our outdoor spaces! #HomeMattersParty
Lorelai says
What a great activity for the kids! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty
~Lorleai
Life With Lorelai