People call termite control services or pest control services when they think or see that they’re infested with insects or bugs that shouldn’t be in their homes or gardens. However, not all insects in the garden are pests, like the butterflies and bees that help pollinate the the plants you’re trying to grow.
Who doesn’t want to see butterflies in their garden? They’re beautiful and peaceful creatures, bringing color and an incomparable sense of calmness to your space.
All About Butterflies
Butterflies are insects that feed on nectar, which is a liquid produced by plants. This sugary “treat” is what attracts animals that help pollinate plants, such as butterflies. Other things butterflies feed on are pollen, which are the male gametes (sperm cells) of a plant, the sap from trees, and also fruits from various plants. Butterflies are also pollinators and even though they can’t carry as much pollen as bees, they can still act as carriers to bring pollen from one plant to another.
How to Make Them Visit:
If you want butterflies to visit your garden often, here are some things that you can do.
– Don’t use pesticides. This doesn’t mean that you absolutely can’t use anything to protect your garden from pests, but some pesticides such as malathion kill butterflies. Read up on pesticides or ask your local pest control to know which ones aren’t harmful to butterflies.
– Get that sunlight. Butterflies are associated with beautiful, sunny days. That’s because they only feed when the sun is completely out and shining. If you want them on your garden, there should be a small part or patch there that lets in a considerate amount of sunlight.
– Plant native flowers and plants. Endemic plants mean that they’ll attract the animals that are also native to the landscape. This means that the animals, insects, and of course the butterflies that will visit your garden are used to the plants you planted, and these plants are used to the animals that come visit and benefit from them.
– Color your garden! Butterflies are attracted to bright colors, so plant brightly colored flowers and plants. This could mean any color you can think of such as reds, yellows, pinks, and purples, and even orange!
– Butterflies like to bathe in the sun and have a little downtime. Help them do so by placing down lots of flat rocks, and tables and chairs that both you and they can use. They can perch on these flat surfaces and rest a little, and hangout with you like you want them to.
– Have non-stop blooms. If you want butterflies to come visit you all year round, plant flowers that bloom all year long, or plant flowers of every season so that when one flower stops blooming, another one can take its place.
It’s also good to provide caterpillars with food just for them, which can help them turn into pupa and become beautiful butterflies! Who knows, when they hatch and fly away, they might even come back with friends.