GROW A Caterpillar Café

Support the next generation of butterflies by nurturing their favorite host plants for larvae to munch on

BY KENN AND KIMBERLY KAUFMAN

BUTTERFLY GARDENING IS GAINING POPULARITY, and with good reason! Any flower garden instantly becomes more interesting when winged beauties stop by to sip sweet nectar from the blooms. But the fluttering adults represent just one stage in the life of a butterfly. To support a healthy population of these colorful pollinators, it’s key to provide food for their caterpillars as well. Nectar Plants vs. Host Plants Most adult butterflies are attracted to flowers, and many sample from an array of blooms, as long as they have a good nectar supply and enough space to land. Popular choices, such as coneflowers, zinnias or verbenas, may get visits from dozens of butterfly species. But when it comes to host plants for the caterpillars (also called larvae, the plural for larva), it’s a different story. The…

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Birds & Blooms (Digital) - 1 Issue, June/July 2023

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