Gardening with a purpose is always a good thing to do, especially when we hear that the butterflies and the bees need our help! In recent years we have seen the decline of both species. to the point that farmers and gardeners are sounding alarm bells!
It is common knowledge that Butterflies and Bees have a very important job to do in our gardens. When I say gardens, I don’t just mean our flower gardens, but also our vegetable gardens and our fruit trees and fruiting vines. I know many a wine drinker that will be saddened if their grape vines are not visited by the bees. We need these beautiful insects to pollinate our flowers, vegetables, fruit and vines or we will not have the fruits afterwards.
Butterflies and Bees in the Garden
So how do we encourage these beautiful insects into our gardening space? Butterflies and bees both need nectar rich flowers for their food source. So when we want these insects to visit our gardens it is helpful and very smart to plant some good colorful and deep nectar filled flowers alongside of the vegetables.
Butterflies and Bees are attracted to colorful flowers in pinks, reds, purples and yellows and oranges. Open areas where it is sunny are also preferred to shady areas. You will often see butterflies perched on a flower head with it’s wings open and just resting in the sunlight. The other thing they like is a drink of water. A shallow birdbath, or even better, a natural rock with divots where water can collect in those divots. Or a shallow dish with mud in the center and water around the outside will also be pleasing for the butterflies and the bees. It truly is amazing to see how they will take some time out of their feeding to just relax in the warm sun.
The other important part of encouraging these wonderful pollinators is having safe places for them to rest in. Butterfly Bushes as their name suggests, would be a wonderful choice in your backyard or front area. Encourage the bees by having some bee houses for them. These are quite cute and if you hang them in a tree, the bees will come to claim their own special “pad” and call your backyard their home.
Butterflies and Bees love having a place to call home. This is a cute little bee house.
Choosing the plant material is important too, While vegetables have flowers before they become the fruits that we eat, they may not be the greatest sources of nectar. So having a flower bed or two nearby will encourage them to visit both. Companion plants would be great in this way. You will have the flowers that will ward off certain unwanted insects, while encouraging the bees and butterflies that we do want.
Buzz Purple (Dwarf) Butterfly Bush – Live Plant – 4 Inch Pot
Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators
I happen to really like butterfly bush in my garden, because it’s really pretty, has lots of floweres all the time and it really is a butterfly magnet. I also like the book as it will inspire you to look for those plants and colors that will attract those beneficial insects right where you want them. The Other great part of planting what they like, is that they will leave you alone and go for what they really like….your garden of plants, a menu especially planted for them.
Just yesterday I was at the garden store (even though we were experiencing rain and snowflakes!) and I was looking at things I can plant up at The Shack to try to help butterflies and bees. I have already been scattering and burying all of the remaining milkweed seeds that I find in old pods.
I’m such a disorganized gardener though. I need to do better at planning – you know, so i have things blooming in succession and etc.
I think it’s more important that you are thinking about the birds and bees and butterflies. Nature will fill in the spaces that you leave open I’m sure…. With the small footprint you leave on the earth, the birds, bees and butterflies will be very happy indeed….
Love this post. Thx for including the adorable bee house!
You are so welcome, thank you for visiting and leaving me such a nice note…..
When I think of bee houses, I think of hives. I would think it kind of dangerous to have a hive near your garden. My yard attracts a lot of bees, but in spite of the butterfly bush, not too many butterflies. The few I do have seem to like my black sage and calendula best.
My SIL is a beekeeper. The only time you don’t want a hive is where it might get bumped and knocked over. His are in a safe corner of a farmers field and the farmer is so happy to have them on his property. The bees don’t bother you, if you don’t bother the hive. When you do go for the honey, you are prepared with proper attire and smoke to daze the bees. The ones you get in the garden to nest in these types of houses are solitary bees and they generally do not bite.
As much as I know how important it is to keep the bee population going, I have to admit I won’t put a bee house in my yard — bees have always terrified me. But a butterfly bush would be wonderful.
I can understand that! Then please do plant a butterfly bush or some coneflowers. You will enjoy the beautiful butterflies instead of the bees….
It’s always a wonderful feeling to see bees and butterflies in the garden!
True and we need them to help us too! They are such wispy pretty fairy looking too!
That is a really neat little bee house! I’ve never seen one like it before. My mother has a butterfly bush. Actually, she has several, but I have never planted one in my garden myself simply because they just get so huge here. Perhaps in my next home I will have a wider bed that will easily accommodate the butterfly bush. I do love seeing the beautiful butterflies and the bees in our yard.
Bee houses are easy to make, they just really like a dry small space, you can make them out of broken pots, rocks and bamboo cuts. So long as the spaces are dry and easy to get into, they will make it home…..well at least the solitary bees will. You don’t want the ones that make hives, unless you are into bee keeping….