Recently, while vacationing in St. Maarten, I had the pleasure of visiting a Butterfly Farm.

It sat up on a mountain top, and it was quite a ride getting there. We walked through a lush tropical rain forest with ponds and a trickling waterfall.

There were butterflies all around us, flying in their own natural habitat. This was a spectacular display of species from all over the world. The compound was fully netted so that the butterflies could fly freely.

Butterfly gardening is one way that you can take part in conserving nature and, at the same time, take great joy in bringing your garden to life with these glorious joys of creation.

First, you need to provide butterflies with lots of nectar producing flowers that will attract them. Nectar is the butterfly’s main source of food. The more flowers, the more butterflies.

However, if you want the butterflies to multiply, you must also provide host or larval plants on which female butterflies will lay their eggs. This is very important and a bit trickier.

Why? Because most butterflies will take nectar from a wide variety of flowers, but female butterflies will only lay their eggs on the leaves of the specific plant that their offspring (caterpillars) will eat. These are called host or larval plants.

It is important to choose the correct host plants native to your area.

Here in Western Pennsylvania, we are Zone 5B or 6. Milkweeds, verbenas, and asters are all common host plants that will attract butterflies.

Some herbs, such as fennel, parsley, mint and dill will also act as host plants for certain species of butterflies.

So plant flowers, flowers, flowers. You cannot have too many.

Red is the butterfly’s favorite color, so plant groups of similar colors together. Make sure you have plants that will flower throughout the season.

Provide a muddy puddle in a sunny spot.

Avoid the use of pesticides and chemicals.

Butterflies like to bask in the early morning sunshine on sun warmed rocks, gravel paths, or bricks.

Caterpillars are hungry. Provide plenty of host or larval plants for them to eat.

You may have noticed the decline in the numbers of Monarch butterflies. They live throughout most of the continental U.S. You can help these beautiful butterflies by planting some of the nectar, and more importantly, host plants in your garden this year.

Milkweed plants are easy to grow from seed and will encourage butterflies to visit your garden. The adult female Monarch will seek out these plants from miles away. She will lay her eggs on the plant; the caterpillars that hatch will remain on the plant and eat the leaves until they enter the pupal stage and later emerge as adult butterflies.

You can plant milkweed seeds directly in the ground after the danger of frost has passed in the spring. Seeds are available from most seed catalogs. Plants may be ordered from native plant nurseries. In addition to Monarchs, many other butterflies will visit milkweeds.

So enjoy these beautiful summer days and help nature along with your own butterfly garden. I can’t wait to see more butterflies in my own!

Linda Bergen is a master gardener.