The goal of every butterfly garden should be to attract as many different species as possible. This is done through adding a vareity of host plants that different species of butterflies will seek out to lay eggs on. Each species of butterfly has a host plant or plants that their caterpillars feed on before forming a chrysallis. Butterflies are not the only insect to have host plants. But, they are probably the only insects that gardeners go out of their way to attract.

Once different species begin appearing in a butterfly garden, the fun part is identifying them and getting excited when new ones make their debut. Some butterflies can be tricky to identify due to their similarities in color and overall appearance. A good example of this is shown among the "Royal Court" of butterflies - Monarch (Danaus plexippus), Queen (Danaus gilippus), Soldier aka Tropical Queen (Danaus eresimus), and…

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to make sure that this publication by University of Florida was made easily available to everyone. It is hands down one of the most useful resources in helping you plan a butterfly garden. Not only does it give you the basics needed for planning, but it also helps you know the types of plants needed. Such as plants for food, plants for cover, and plants that host caterpillars. Then it goes a step further and lists all the butterflies BY SPECIES and then lists their host plants.

So, if you wanted to target a specific butterfly species, you can go to this PDF, search the butterfly you want, and find the corresponding host plant. Be sure to check the zone, to make sure that the butterfly you are trying to attract is active in your area. Central Florida is mostly zone 3 with some areas potentially…