Butterflies are very important. They carry pollen from plant to plant which plants need to make their seeds. Without seeds, plants could not reproduce and many would become extinct (gone forever!)

But butterflies are in danger, too. They need places to live. You can help butterflies by making a home for them in your yard.

NECTAR PLANTS - At different stages of their lives, butterflies eat different things. The caterpillar of almost all butterflies eat various parts of plants. Each kind of butterfly (species) may prefer only a few kinds of plants or plant parts. Most butterfly adults sip flower nectar (but some eat fluids from sap flowers on trees, rotting fruits, bird or animal droppings.) Pay attention to the plants that butterflies land on in nurseries and public gardens and plant the same ones in your garden.

PROVIDE WATER - Most adult butterflies eat only liquids of different kinds to maintain their water balance and to give them energy. Butterflies sometimes have to drink fluids from wet sand or mud along streams and at the edges of dirt roads or trails. A big rock with a natural indentation makes a good drinking fountain for
butterflies. Shallow puddles are good also.

OFFER SHELTER - Butterflies do not fly at night. When it rains, they usually seek shelter in the same places they go for the night. Some butterflies hide under leaves, some crawl down under rocks, and some just sit, with their head down, on grass or branches with their wings held tightly. If it rains very hard, or if it is very windy, butterflies can become tattered or die. They prefer sunny areas because they are “cold-blooded,” and need the sun’s heat to warm their bodies before they can fly around.

AVOID USING PESTICIDES - Butterflies are insects. Any insecticide that can kill your gardens “pests,” will kill butterflies and other friends, too.