AMERICAN LANDSCAPE   

&   LAWN SCIENCE

766 Route 32, North Franklin, CT 06254

860-642-9966 Franklin    860-887-2344  Norwich    860-657-1457 Glastonbury

Perhaps the most important aspects of attracting butterflies, hummingbirds and song birds is the creation of a place in the midst of the garden where you can sit and observe the show.

When we garden, we often tend to focus on the plants and forget the animated side of gardening.   Butterflies and other nectar feeders such as hummingbirds and song birds offer another dimension to the garden, one that fascinates children and adults alike.   Countless house of learning and enjoyment may be had by watching these creatures.   Our butterfly gardens and hummingbirds gardens will attract these animated creatures.

Select a warm, sunny site sheltered from high winds. Butterflies need sun to keep warm, and most of the nectar-rich plants they sip from--black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), aster, joe-pye weed (Eupatorium), gay-feather (Liatris), butterfly bush (Buddlea), purple coneflower (Echinacea), butterfly weed (Asclepias) and coreopsis-- grow best in full sun

Grow plants upon which adult butterflies lay their eggs and caterpillars (the larval stage of butterflies) dine. Each type of butterfly searches for specific plant species among weeds, vegetables, perennials, shrubs and trees. Most caterpillars feed on leaves

Maintain a mud puddle or a patch of moist sand in the garden. You can fill a bowl with wet sand and sink it to ground level. Arrange some flat stones near flowers and at the edge of the puddle for butterflies to bask on and heat up their wing muscles

Hummingbird gardens are designed to attract these tiny delicate birds just when they need nectar the most.  These perennials produce prodigious blooms of brightly colored flowers during mid to late summer - just before the "hummers" leave our backyards to migrate to Central America.  Plant your Hummingbird Garden now and admire these small acrobats for the rest of the summer

Plan your garden so it contains several varieties of nectar-bearing flowering plants or trees that are attractive to hummingbirds

Honeysuckle, fuchsia, columbine, bottlebrush, sage, larkspur, impatiens, trumpet vine, tree tobacco, silk tree, and flowering eucalyptus attract hummingbirds

Hang hummingbird feeders in several locations around your property

Fill each feeder with a mixture of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water

Clean feeders often and thoroughly

Never use honey or red food coloring in hummingbird feeders, and avoid commercial mixes that contain red dyes