When flowers bloom, butterflies won’t be far behind. Try these ideas for a summer of butterfly fun!

A butterfly garden is a place butterflies love to flutter to. It takes just a few things to make one in your yard, on a balcony, or on your school grounds.

PLANT YOUR GARDEN

Butterflies need nectar to sip, safe places to rest, and plants where they can lay their eggs. The best plants for adult butterflies and their caterpillars are natives, or ones that grow naturally in your area. So, when you’re planning and planting a butterfly garden, make sure you pick carefully. Here’s what you’ll need to bring on the butterflies:

• Nectar flowers. Plant colorful, sweet-smelling flowers that have good “landing platforms” for butterflies. That means the flowers should be flat, as with purple coneflowers, or in clusters, as with goldenrod.
• Host plants for caterpillars. Caterpillars grow up to be butterflies (or moths). Many butterfly caterpillars need to eat the leaves of particular plants to survive. For example, monarch caterpillars feed only on milkweed leaves. To find the right host plants for butterflies that live near you, visit nativeplantfinder.nwf.org.
• Puddling areas. Fill a shallow pan with wet sand or mud. Butterflies may land here to collect minerals as they sip.
• Basking rocks. Add a few rocks to your garden to give butterflies a place to rest and warm up in the sun.

TIPS FOR BUTTERFLY SUCCESS

1. Plant your garden in a sunny spot that’s sheltered from the wind.
2. Group plants so that lots of flowers grow close together.
3. Choose a variety of plants that bloom at different times. That will keep your butterfly café open through spring, summer, and early fall.
4. Don’t use pesticides. They’re bad for butterflies—and for people and pets, too!

BUTTERFLY STUDIES

Once butterflies have arrived, sit back and enjoy the show! If you’re patient, you might be able to investigate some of these questions:

• Which flowers are the most popular? Check out whether certain kinds of butterflies seem to prefer visiting certain kinds of flowers.
• Can you identify the butterflies you spot? Note their sizes and shapes, the colors and patterns on their wings, and how they fly. Then use a field guide to search for their pictures and find their names.
• Can you get close enough to watch a butterfly’s tongue unroll? Can you use a magnifying glass to see the tiny scales that cover its wings?
• Will your favorite butterflies pose for photos? Snap some pictures and frame the best ones or make a book to show them off.

BUTTERFLY TOWN

The beautiful monarch butterfly is in trouble because of climate change, lost habitat, and other threats. But many people are trying to help, including the National Wildlife Federation (NWF, the group that publishes Ranger Rick). This summer, the group is celebrating 10 years of its Mayors’ Monarch Pledge program. NWF encourages mayors and other local government leaders to commit to creating healthy monarch habitat in their communities.

To find out whether YOUR mayor has pledged to help monarchs survive, visit mayorsmonarchportal.nwf.org/search then type in the name of your town or your mayor. If you don’t find it, there’s one more thing you and your friends can do to help butterflies in your area: Ask your own mayor to take the pledge!