Suburban Ecology: Create a Butterfly Habitat in Your Yard this Summer

One of summer’s pleasures is catching a glimpse of a butterfly in your backyard. As beautiful as they are to look at, butterflies are also doing important work: pollinating your landscape plants. Stories of declining Monarch butterfly populations have made the news for the last several years. But they are not the only species in trouble. Invertebrates of all sorts are declining dramatically. There are many reasons for their decline, including pesticide use and habitat fragmentation. In many towns, there may be large natural areas with the right nectar and food sources, but they are no longer connected because of development that has occurred.

We can fix that by planting more native plants in our own yards to connect these habitats. By making a commitment to stop using insecticides. By keeping a space for butterfly eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises or adults to overwinter.

Get the details in the full article here. You’ll also learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, and find more resources and inspiration to get you started on your own butterfly habitat!