Insect Cage Bug Habitat, Butterfly Nets, Bug Houses

Most adult butterflies live 10-20 days. A few, however, are thought to live no more than three or four days, although others, such as monarchs, may live as long as six months.

More than 700 species of butterflies exist in North America. Very few are considered agricultural pests. Adult butterflies vary in size from the half-inch pigmy blue which resides in southern California to the giant female Queen Alexandra's birdwing of New Guinea, which measures about 10 inches from wing tip to wing tip. Butterfly tarsi or feet have a sense like to taste. Contact with sweet liquids such as nectar causes the proboscis to uncoil. Millions of shingle like, over lapping scales give butterfly wings their color and patterns. During the time from hatching to forming the chrysalis, the caterpillar might increase its body size as much 30,000 times. The chrysalises of several basic gossamer wings, which includes the blues, hair streaks and elfins, are able of create weak sounds. By bending and rubbing together body segments, sounds are generated that may scare little predators and parasites. Kids Activities Alpharetta Atlanta Roswell Cumming Georgia

Plants That Attract Butterflies - Provide flowers to feed adults.

Adults seeking for nectar are attracted to:

* red, yellow, orange, pink, or purple blossoms
* flat topped or clustered flowers
* short flower tubes

Short flower tubes provide the butterflies a way for them to reach the nectar with their proboscis. Nectar making plants should be grown in clear, sunny expanses, as adults of most species seldom feed on plants in the shade.

Compact clusters of small flowers planted in a sunny location, such as zinnias, marigolds, butterfly bush, milkweeds, verbenas, and many mint category plants commonly work well. Your central butterfly nectar source plants should receive full sun from mid-morning to mid afternoon. Butterfly adults normally feed exclusively in the sun. You can also place butterfly feeders in such plant groupings and offer man made nectar. You can mix your own solution or purchase ready mixed butterfly nectar. Over ripe, mashed fruits may also go in butterfly feeders.

Another fun wildlife addition to a garden is a Bat House. Bats are great for insect control!

No to insecticides! Insecticides such as malathion, Sevin, and diazinon are marketed to kill insects. Don't use these stuffs in or close to the butterfly garden or better, anyplace on your property. Even benign insecticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, are lethal to butterflies during their caterpillar stage.

Feed butterfly caterpillars

Many caterpillars are picky eaters. They depend on just one or two species of plants. The caterpillar of the giant swallowtail butterfly in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states eats just two types native plant foods - northern prickly ash and hop tree. Other species will feed on a variety of deciduous trees. If you don't grow caterpillars, there will be no adults. Adding caterpillar foods into your garden could greatly step-up your opportunities of attracting different and unusual butterflies, while affording you another reason to plant an expanding variety of native plants. In many cases, caterpillars of a species feed on only a very fixed assortment of plants. Most butterfly caterpillars never cause the leaf damage we connect with some moth caterpillars such as bag worms, tent caterpillars, or gypsy moths.

Hibernation: Except for the migratory Monarch butterfly, most hibernate in the same area they pass the summer. They look for homes such as loose bark, log piles or even constructions. Some over winter as adults, others as pupa and a few as caterpillars. A lot of people like to have a butterfly hibernating box in their butterfly gardens as a source for wildlife habitat, Frequently these boxes are named to as butterfly houses, but they are in reality meant as shelters in which certain butterfly species will over winter. Another good idea is to place flowers near shallow bird baths to allow butterflies a place to drink water. You can put stones in the bottom of the bath to keep it shallow!

Butterfly Shrubs and Trees

* Abelia, glossy (Abelia)
* Autumn olive (Elaegnus umbellata)
* Buckeye
* Buddleia (Buddleia davidii)
* Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
* Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)
* Blueberry (Vaccinium species)
* Hawthorn (Crataegus species)
* Mock orange (Philadelphus species)
* New Jersey tea (Canothus americanus)
* Pear (Pyrus communis)
* Plum (Prunus species)
* Privet
* Redbud (Cercis)
* Rose of sharon (
* Silverling (Baccharis species)
* Spiraea (Spiraea species)
* Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
* Viburnum (Viburnum species)

Butterfly Flowers: Annuals

* Cosmos
* Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)
* Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana)
* Marigold, French (Tagetes patula)
* Mexican sunflower (Tithonia species)
* Nasturtium
* Sunflower
* Queen Anne's Lace
* Verbena
* Zinnia

Wildflowers for Butterflies

* Butterfly weed
* Coneflowers
* Ironweed
* Milkweeds
* New England asters
* Spearmint
* Thistles
* Verbena

Butterfly Shrubs and Trees
* Abelia, glossy (Abelia)
* Buddleia (Buddleia davidii)
* Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
* Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)
* Blueberry (Vaccinium species)
* Hawthorn (Crataegus species)
* Mock orange (Philadelphus species)
* New Jersey tea (Canothus americanus)
* Pear (Pyrus communis) * Plum (Prunus species)
* Privet * Redbud (Cercis) * Rose of sharon ( * Silverling (Baccharis species) * Spiraea (Spiraea species) * Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) * Viburnum (Viburnum species) Butterfly Flowers: Annuals * Cosmos * Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) * Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana) * Marigold, French (Tagetes patula) * Mexican sunflower (Tithonia species) * Nasturtium * Sunflower * Queen Anne's Lace * Verbena * Zinnia Wildflowers for Butterflies * Butterfly weed * Coneflowers * Ironweed * Milkweeds * New England asters * Spearmint * Thistles * Verbena

American Painted Lady - Borage, Burdock, Everlasting, Hollyhocks, Knapweed, Mallow, Sunflower, Wormwood
Baltimore Checkerspot - Plantain, Turtlehead
Banded Hairstreak - Hickory, Oak, Walnut
Black Swallowtail - Carrot, Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Queen Anne's Lace, Rue
Cabbage White Broccoli, Cabbage family, Mustard, Nasturtium
Checkered White - Mustard family
Clouded Sulphur - Alfalfa, Clover
Cloudless Sulphur Senna
Common Buckeye - Heliotrope, Monkeyflower, Plantain, Sedum, Snapdragon, Verbena
Common Checkered Skipper - Hollyhock, hibiscus, mallow
Dainty Sulphur - Spanish Needles, Sneezeweed
Dogface False Indigo, Indigo Bush, Prairie Clover
Eastern Comma - Elm, Hop Vine, Nettle
Eastern Tailed Blue - Clover, Pea Family, Vetch
Fritillaries Violets
Tiger Swallowtail Aspens, Sycamore, Tulip Tree, Wild Black Cherry, Willow, Yellow Poplar
Falcate Orangetip Mustard,Rock Cress
Fiery Skipper Grasses
Giant Swallowtail - Citrus Tree, Hop, Prickly Ash, Rue
Fritillaries - Violets
Gray Hairstreak - Clover, Hibiscus, Hollyhock, Mallows, Rose of Sharon
Gulf Fritillary - Passionflower Vine, Pentas
Hackberry Emperor Hackberry Tree
Least Skipper - Grasses
Little Wood Satyr - Grasses
Little Yellow - Cassia, Clover, Senna, Legumes
Long-Tailed Skipper Beans, Legumes
Milbert's Tortoiseshell - Nettle
Monarch - Milkweed
Mourning Cloak Aspen, Birch, Cottonwood Ash, Elm, Hackberry, Poplar, Wild Rose, Willow
Northern Cloudywing - Legumes
Orange Sulphur Alfalfa, Clover, Vetch
Pearl Crescent - Aster
Peck's Skipper - Grasses
Pipevine Swallowtail Dutchman's Pipe, Pipevine
Purplish Copper Dock, Knotweed
Queen Milkweed Family
Question Mark Basswood,Elm,Hackberry, Hops, Nettle
Red Admiral Nettle
Red-spotted Purple - Apple, Aspen, Hawthorn, Poplar, Wild Cherry, Willow
Sara Orange tip - Mustard family
Silvery Blue - Legumes, Lupine
Silvery Checkerspot Aster, Sunflowers
Silver-spotted Skipper Black Locust Tree, Tick-Trefoils, Wisteria
Sleepy
Orange Cassia, Clover, Sennas
Southern Dogface Indigo Bush, Prairie Clover
Spicebush Swallowtail Sassafras, Spicebush
Spring/Summer Azure Apple, Blueberry, Dogwood, Spirea, Viburnum, Wild cherry
Tawny
Emperor Hackberry
Variegated Fritillary Passion Vine, Violets
Viceroy Aspen, Cottonwood, Cherry, Poplar, Willow
West Coast Lady Mallow, Nettles
Western Tiger Swallowtail Alder, Ash, Aspen, Poplar, Willow
White Admiral Aspen, Birch, Honeysuckle, Poplar, Willow
Wild Indigo Duskywing Crown Vetch, Wild indigo
Zebra Longwing Passionflower
Zebra Swallowtail Pawpaw Tree

American Painted Lady - Borage, Burdock, Everlasting, Hollyhocks, Knapweed, Mallow, Sunflower, Wormwood
Baltimore Checkerspot - Plantain, Turtlehead Banded Hairstreak - Hickory, Oak, Walnut
Black Swallowtail - Carrot, Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Queen Anne's Lace, Rue Cabbage White Broccoli, Cabbage family, Mustard, Nasturtium
Checkered White - Mustard family Clouded Sulphur - Alfalfa, Clover
Cloudless Sulphur Senna Common Buckeye - Heliotrope, Monkeyflower, Plantain, Sedum, Snapdragon, Verbena
Common Checkered Skipper - Hollyhock, hibiscus, mallow
Dainty Sulphur - Spanish Needles, Sneezeweed Dogface False Indigo, Indigo Bush, Prairie Clover Eastern Comma - Elm, Hop Vine, Nettle
Eastern Tailed Blue - Clover, Pea Family,
Vetch Fritillaries Violets
Tiger Swallowtail Aspens, Sycamore, Tulip Tree, Wild Black Cherry, Willow, Yellow Poplar Falcate Orangetip Mustard, Rock Cress
Fiery Skipper Grasses Giant Swallowtail - Citrus Tree, Hop, Prickly Ash, Rue Fritillaries - Violets
Gray Hairstreak - Clover, Hibiscus, Hollyhock, Mallows, Rose of Sharon
Gulf Fritillary - Passionflower Vine, Pentas Hackberry Emperor Hackberry Tree Least Skipper - Grasses
Little Wood Satyr - Grasses
Little Yellow - Cassia, Clover, Senna, Legumes
Long-Tailed Skipper Beans, Legumes Milbert's Tortoiseshell - Nettle Monarch - Milkweed Mourning Cloak Aspen, Birch, Cottonwood Ash, Elm, Hackberry, Poplar, Wild Rose, Willow
Northern Cloudywing - Legumes Orange Sulphur Alfalfa, Clover, Vetch
Pearl Crescent - Aster
Peck's Skipper - Grasses
Pipevine Swallowtail Dutchman's Pipe, Pipevine Purplish Copper Dock, Knotweed Queen Milkweed Family
Question Mark Basswood,Elm,Hackberry, Hops, Nettle Red Admiral Nettle
Red-spotted Purple - Apple, Aspen, Hawthorn, Poplar, Wild Cherry, Willow
Sara Orange tip - Mustard family Silvery Blue - Legumes, Lupine Silvery Checkerspot Aster, Sunflowers
Silver-spotted Skipper Black Locust Tree, Tick-Trefoils, Wisteria
Sleepy Orange Cassia, Clover, Sennas Southern Dogface Indigo Bush, Prairie Clover Spicebush Swallowtail Sassafras, Spicebush Spring/Summer Azure Apple, Blueberry, Dogwood, Spirea, Viburnum, Wild cherry
Tawny Emperor Hackberry
Variegated Fritillary Passion Vine, Violets Viceroy Aspen, Cottonwood, Cherry, Poplar, Willow
West Coast Lady Mallow, Nettles
Western Tiger Swallowtail Alder, Ash, Aspen, Poplar, Willow
White Admiral Aspen, Birch, Honeysuckle, Poplar, Willow Wild Indigo
Duskywing Crown Vetch, Wild indigo Zebra Longwing Passionflower
Zebra Swallowtail Pawpaw Tree
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Butterfly Flowers: Perennials

* Ageratum (Ageratum)
* Aster (Aster species)
* Bee-balm (Monarda didyma)
* Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia species)
* Boltonia (Boltonia asteroides)
* Bugle (Ajuga reptans)
* Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
* Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
* Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
* Coreopsis (Coreopsis species)
* Daisy, Shasta (Chrysanthemum maximum)
* Daylily (Hemerocallis species)
* False indigo (Baptisia australis)
* Gayfeather (Liatris species)
* Goldenrod (Solidago species)
* Hibiscus (Hibiscus species)
* Hollyhock (Althaea rosea)
* Ironweed (Vernonia species)
* Lantana (Lantana camara, L. species)
* Leadplant (Amorpha fruticosa)
* Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis)
* Milkweed (Asclepias species)
* Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum species)
* Passion flower (Passiflora species)
* Phlox (Phlox paniculata, P. carolina)
* Sage (Salvia leucantha; Salvia species)
* Sedum (Sedum species)
* Verbena (Verbena species)
* Yarrow (Achillea species)
Text module
Give your module a title. Titles can only be one line, so keep it short. Give your module a subtitle. Enter your text below. The limit is 10,000 characters. * Ageratum (Ageratum) * Aster (Aster species) * Bee-balm (Monarda didyma) * Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia species) * Boltonia (Boltonia asteroides) * Bugle (Ajuga reptans) * Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) * Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) * Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) * Coreopsis (Coreopsis species) * Daisy, Shasta (Chrysanthemum maximum) * Daylily (Hemerocallis species) * False indigo (Baptisia australis) * Gayfeather (Liatris species) * Goldenrod (Solidago species) * Hibiscus (Hibiscus species) * Hollyhock (Althaea rosea) * Ironweed (Vernonia species) * Lantana (Lantana camara, L. species) * Leadplant (Amorpha fruticosa) * Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis) * Milkweed (Asclepias species) * Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum species) * Passion flower (Passiflora species) * Phlox (Phlox paniculata, P. carolina) * Sage (Salvia leucantha; Salvia species) * Sedum (Sedum species) * Verbena (Verbena species) * Yarrow (Achillea species)
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Links: Best Shops for Butterfly Supply

Butterfly Houses & Feeders - Butterfly homes and houses form various suppliers. Decorative and pretty, these are lovely garden decor accents. hanging feeders also, several of them unique and unusual. Unique glass bowl butterfly feeders. Hanging styles on decorative wire decorated with beads. Very different!

Other Yard Wildlife - There is a host of animals and wildlife out in the backyard - here are supplies to help you invite them. Bat Houses - Also invite bats to your garden backyard and help keep the mosquito population down!

Wildlife Critter Food - Critter food mixes for other wildlife who may visit. Has very pretty butterfly hibernation boxes in different styles, colors and sizes. Also they have feeders and a observation pavilion so you can raise your own butterflies!

Backyard Bird Watching Supply Butterfly Garden Supply Centers
for the best selection and prices on flowers, tress and shrubs for your garden habitat. Shop for butterfly box and feeders along with pre-made and nectar mix. Birdscaping plants, flowers, fruits, trees and shrubs.

Nursery and landscape design ideas. Offers quality plants, good prices and a selection of cultivators.
Specializes in bulbs from Holland, healthy and a unique variety. Bulbs for all seasons blooms. One of the best places to buy seeds or plants. A recommend name, great service. A growing nursery with healthy plants, they offer good service, prices and selection. Has been around a long time and is very good at what they do! High quality, healthy plants, great prices and selection. Center for beautiful, healthy plants and flowers with a large selection of colors at good prices. For the organic gardener, supplies are environmentally friendly. Includes weed and pest control, fertilizers and green products. Flowers, shrubs, trees and host plants for butterfly gardens. All plant types for butterfly gardening, flowers, tress, host plants, herbs. Butterfly gardening perennials, flowers, shrubs, trees, host plants and bulbs. Gardening tools, plants, garden accessories and furniture. Butterfly gardening perennials, flowering trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers.