Do you feel like you’ve seen an unusually large number of butterflies this spring? You probably have. According to an article published in the Toronto Star on Saturday, April 21st, 2012 in Southern Ontario over the past two weeks we’ve had a sudden increase in the population of red admiral butterflies. These beautifully coloured butterflies are migrating north after spending the winter in Texas and Florida.

People are reporting seeing hundreds of these beautiful insects. What a treat to be able to sit in your garden and watch them dance, dart and chase each other here and there, playing amongst your flowers and foliage, or just resting in a sunny spot.

Is your garden a friendly spot for these red admiral butterflies to stop for a rest on their long migration? If you haven’t seen red admiral butterflies around your garden then consider following these 6 tips to make your garden more butterfly friendly:

1. Butterflies love colour! Their favourite flowers are pink, yellow, orange and purple

2. Butterflies love sunning themselves on a hot rock or stone, since they are cold-blooded insects. Consider adding a few well placed heat retaining stones to your garden

3. A diverse garden with a great variety of plants will attract more butterflies, especially if your plants flower at different times and have simple blooms

4. Butterflies need shelter from predators like birds and a good place to land. Consider flat-top flowers so butterflies can land easily and feel safe

5. Butterflies really like:

• Goldenrods
• Forget-me-nots
• Lilacs
• Dogwoods
• Mock Oranges
• Roses
• Sweet Alyssums
• Sunflowers

6. Caterpillars really like:

• Cherry
• Thistle
• Dandelion
• Birch
• Clover

Contact Cedargate Landscaping to learn more about designing a butterfly garden. Or, consult our Plant Guide for help choosing the right plants to attract butterflies to your garden.