Want to have butterflies in your garden? Want to learn about the plants that will attract them? In this book you will find the plants needed to attract those winged beauties to your yard. Also learn about the fascinating life cycles of some of your favorite butterflies.

“No matter the size or shape of your growing area, this will guide you through creating a butterfly-friendly space.” —Mother Earth News Welcome the world’s most exquisite visitors to your garden! Gardening for Butterflies, by the experts at the Xerces Society, introduces you to a variety of butterflies who need our help, and shows you how to design a habitat where they will thrive. This optimistic call to arms is packed with everything you need to create a beautiful, pollinator-friendly garden. You will learn why butterflies matter, why they are in danger, and what simple steps we can take to make a difference. You'll also learn how to choose the right plants and how to create a garden that flutters and flourishes with life.

"Raising Butterflies in the Garden is a guide to attracting local species of butterflies and moths in your garden. Readers can do this by growing the plants that they use in all stages of their life cycles. The author profiles 40 species of butterfly and moth, lists the plants they use and guides the reader through each species' life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult. Species are arranged by type and each profile includes a range map and many pictures."--

Copiously illustrated with maps, line drawings, and full-color photographs, this large format paperback book contains the essential information that backyard nature enthusiasts want and need -- to attract butterflies to their yards.

While many growers focus on attracting adult butterflies to their gardens, fewer know about the plants that caterpillars need to survive. Native host plants—wildflowers, trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and sedges—not only provide a site for the butterfly to lay its eggs, they also provide a ready food source for the emerging caterpillar. Think of these plants as the nurseries of the garden. This user-friendly, heavily illustrated field guide describes 101 native larval host plants in Texas. Each species account includes descriptive information on each plant, a distribution map, and photos of both the caterpillars and adult butterflies who frequent those plants. An adult butterfly may nectar on a wide variety of flowers, but caterpillars are much more restricted in their food sources. Some feed on only a limited number of plant species, so female butterflies seek out these specific plants to lay their eggs. For example, the host plants for Monarch caterpillars are various species of milkweed. Often, these plants are not the same as the ones the adult butterfly will later use for nectar. Learning more about the plants caterpillars need is crucial for butterfly conservation. Butterflies’ dependency on specific caterpillar host plants is one of the key factors restricting their range and distribution. Armed with this knowledge, readers can also hone their ability to find specific species of breeding butterflies in nature. This is a handy guide whether you are in the field searching for butterflies or on the hunt for butterfly-friendly options at your local plant sale.

This new edition of Sierra Club's classic handbook series describes how to attract butterflies and other beneficial and beautiful insects to your garden. The book covers plants that attract butterflies, butterfly food plans, seed and plant sources, gardening and conservation organizations, and a bibliography of books and periodicals about butterflies. 130 color photos.

Practical and beautiful, this book shows how to attract butterflies to a back yard garden--and turn it into a fluttering paradise. Marcus Schneck explains the life cycles, migration patterns, and mating behavior of these creatures, and offers invaluable information on everything from pesticide-free garden maintenance to the use of feeders.