Can you imagine a world without butterflies, birds, or bees? This situation may be something we need to address quickly. With Monarch butterfly population’s 90 % decline in the last 20 years, studies show there was an additional 27 % decrease in the last year. The biggest threat to the species are the loss of habitat in the US and the fact that the pesticide, glyphosate, sold by Monsanto, destroys their food source of nectar and milkweed.
Because of this situation, I suggest we all contribute food and habitat to the butterflies if we can!
In most places, the fall is the perfect time for planting your wildflowers, that are rich in nectar and absolutely gorgeous in the spring. You want to find a place in the yard or garden, that is not mowed over the winter. Mix the wildflower seeds with sand and then scatter the seeds in the area that is going to left to rest and be un mowed until the flowers are grown and completely finished with their blooms. The sand will help the seeds stay on the earth and not be blown away. I do this every year, in addition to my normal garden. The flowers are absolutely gorgeous in the spring, and make the environment fantastically healthy also. I use organic, non-toxic gardening methods.
Butterflies and frogs are indicator species that show how healthy our environment is. If our environment lacks these species, then we need to make it healthier and less toxic.
For this reason, I do three things I feel are vitally important for the health and well-being of my garden, I always plant flowers that attract pollinators. I also avoid using pesticides, and provide clean drinking water for all creatures, including the pollinators. Pollinators and birds are attracted to moving water and so I have a drip fountain in my birdbath. This moving water (from the ripples) also prevents mosquitoes from laying eggs and proliferating. (Note: You can buy little battery run “wigglers” that can be put in water dishes and bird-baths, that work really well creating ripples.)
When I plant my garden every year, ususally in the sping, I plant organic, heirloom, non-GMO seeds, because they grow fragrant, pollen-rich, and nectar-rich flowers that will provide food for the pollinators without harming them, like the GMO and hybrid plants (flowers) do.
These will provide safe, nourishing food for butterflies and draw more pollinators to my vegetable, fruits, and herbs. This helps the plants produce more food, and it makes my garden more beautiful to be in.
This is now more important than ever, because many GMO plants and hybrid flowers like the “knock-out roses” have flowers that have no nectar.
Four species of large bumble bees are now extinct because they quite literally starved to death due to enormous areas full of flowers lacking pollen. I try my best to support the pollinators in our web of life: bees, hummingbirds, dragonflies, bats, and butterflies. Link: https://www.organichealthylife.com/butterflies-and-bees-make-our-lives-so-much-healthier-beautiful/
These fragile creatures do so much for the health of our environment, but they need our support. If you care about this, buy plants for your garden or landscaping that are rich in fragrance, pollen, and nectar.
Organic, native heirloom plants are always best. Heirloom plants have been handed down from generation to generation of gardeners in a region, so they have proven to do well in a particular soil and temperature.
If you inter-plant some of the flowering plants with your hedgerows, you will provide additional forage for pollinators of all kinds.
Stagger your plantings so there is enough food throughout the year.
Here are seven outstanding, nectar-rich flowering plants that attract butterflies and pollinators to keep your garden lovely, fragrant and environmentally healthy!
Butterfly Bush. The butterfly bush is a shrub that produces flowers of white, yellow, pink, and purple. The flower clusters are up to 15 inches long and have a delicate scent that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. They require partial shade to full sun, and they grow up to eight feet tall. They are deer-resistant. They bloom from midsummer to the first frost.
Butterfly Weed. The butterfly weed is a pest-free perennial wildflower which is great for saving time and money. Its beautiful flowers are orange, red, and yellow. They grow about three feet tall and bloom from spring to early fall. With full sunlight and enough water, this easy-to-grow plant will produce beautiful, nectar-rich flowers. Monarch butterfly larvae prefer this food.
Keys of Heaven. Keys of heaven are a brilliant scarlet red that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. This bushy plant grows at least three feet tall and makes a lovely border. It needs full sun. It will grow in early midsummer in hotter climates, and it will bloom all summer in cooler climates.
Joe-Pye Weed. The Joe-Pye weed is a large plant with nectar-rich, pink flowers. It is a butterfly favorite. It can produce many seeds that you can replant in more areas of your garden.
Sunflowers. Sunflowers come in many varieties. They are extremely easy to grow and are incredibly rich with nectar. They will keep blooming all summer long until the first freeze. They will reseed if you allow them that freedom. The best part is that they will provide beautiful flowers for your home all summer long.
Asters. Asters are a perennial flower that brightens up late-summer and fall gardens with its star-shaped blooms. There are more than 175 species found in North America with a huge variety of colors to choose from. They smell divine.
Dragon Flower. The dragon flower is an easy-to-grow perennial with gorgeous white or cream-colored flowers. They are very nectar-rich and will attract a wonderful array of life to your garden. The Monarch butterfly is particularly fond of these flowers. If you plant them with dill, which the Monarch butterfly caterpillar loves, you have a fabulous combination to help the Monarch butterfly.
A few more plants to add are marigolds, zinnias, violets, lilies, red penstemon, and crocuses. You can grow berries in your garden, or herbs such as lavender, sage, parsley, and dill. Butterflies love dill for their caterpillars.
I have some of the most beautiful Monarch butterfly caterpillars in my garden when I plant dill amongst my flowers. You can also plant female yaupon holly, poplar trees, and redbud trees.
To make your garden non-toxic and healthier, stop using pesticides! Pesticides kill our pollinators, poison the environment, destroy vital nutrients in the soil and the food we grow, and can cause nerve damage to anyone exposed to them. Their runoff pollutes our water, too.
Avoid using pesticides in your yard or garden.
On the environmental side, the weed killer, glyphosate, has virtually wiped out milkweed in Midwest corn and soybean fields, a major factor in the dramatic 20-year decline of monarch butterflies that depend on milkweed for food and reproduction.
It’s also important to provide safe, clean drinking water for all the wildlife, including the pollinators. Every living creature needs water to survive.
I put a drip on my birdbath, so it has a ripple which is easy for pollinators and hummingbirds to see. The ripple also prevents mosquitoes from breeding in the water, because mosquitoes only lay eggs in still, standing water.
I also put water on the ground to help the local wild animals have enough water to drink. It’s a web of life, and I try to support all the precious parts of that web that God gave us.
With these organic, healthy gardening tips, I hope you have a healthy and lovely garden!
Over the last few decades, a handful of agrichemical giants have acquired 65% of the world’s seed supply, so I recommend buying organic seeds you like, in bulk, and keeping them for your own personal use. I buy them to use for growing my sprouts, which I put in my salads.
Here are a few organic, non-GMO seed companies I recommend:
Heirloom wildflower seeds for spring, that you plant in the fall!
Heirloom Seeds
Mountain Valley Seed Company
$21.99
100% CERTIFIED ORGANIC NON-GMO Culinary Herb Set – 12 popular Easy-to-Grow Herb Seeds by Zziggysgal
$13.99
Heirloom Garden Vegetable Seeds NON GMO Easy Growers
Veganseeds
$15.95
$14.95
Rebel Gardens
$15.99
Notes: I made a short organic gardening video if you wish to view it, click here.
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The information from Nancy Addison and Organic Healthy Lifestyle LLC is not offered for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease or disorder nor have any statements herein been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We strongly encourage you to discuss topics of concern with your health care provider.
Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article, book, podcast, website, email, etc. is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Nancy Addison CHC, AADP. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging.
