Butterfly House

It never dawned on me that insects need to seek shelter during storms just as humans and other animals do. One of nature's fragile fliers, the butterfly, is certainly one of those that need a hiding place.

Eric Harrold, a park interpreter at Douthat State Park stopped by the station to talk about the butterfly house. It's a wooden box, which looks like a bird house but has small rectangular holes for which butterflies can enter. We both agreed these are more ornamental than functional but will work with the right plants.

Here are a a few tips on planting a garden to attract butterflies:

• Plant your garden in full sun. Plants, especially flowering plants, need sun to make food for themselves, and nectar for butterflies. Butterflies also need sun to warm their bodies for flight.
  


• Plant butterfly-attracting flowers Butterflies are attracted to flowers with strong scents and bright colors, where they drink sweet, energy-rich nectar. Select plants that are native to your area, and they will attract local butterflies.
  


• Include host plants in your garden Butterflies lay their eggs on host plants that the emerging caterpillars will eat. The sight of a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis will more than make up for the chewed leaves.
  


• Use colorful plants Butterflies see more colors than humans do. They seem to prefer red, orange, yellow, purple, and dark pink. A large, colorful garden is easy for butterflies to find, and encourages them to stay longer.