Butterfly Gardening

A successful butterfly garden will have several key features which create a suitable habitat for butterflies and their larva called caterpillars. The first thing to remember is to avoid using insecticides in your garden, even those considered organic. There are several good alternatives such as soap sprays and horticultural oils.

Next, be sure your garden has the proper water. Create areas where water can puddle, then add rocks in the sun so butterflies can sun and warm themselves. 

Create an easy mini pond and you'll be rewarded with other visitors that will benefit your backyard ecosystem: frogs and birds - bees, too, need water!


Last, add plants which will provide shelter and food throughout the entire season. Butterflies tend to be attracted to brightly colored fragrant flowers.
Plants to consider growing for a butterfly garden in Idaho include bee balm, butterfly bush, cornflowers, dill, lilac, parsley, yarrow, zinnias, and other nectar bearing plants.

For other pollinators that will love your butterfly garden, click below
Bee Habitat
Attracting Native Bees to your landscape

Or I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll dry your ground out!

Or I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll dry your ground out

One of the trademarks of living in Idaho seems to be wind. Learning how to adapt can be challenging to any newcomer. Unless you are from, say, Chicago? In any case, being aware of how wind affects your landscape can help in protecting them during our often dry, windy fall and winter seasons.

Drying winds strip plants, turf, and the soil of much needed moisture. As the wind blows it wicks the moisture out of the plant, and the soil. As the low humidity and wind blow, plants can’t replenish the water they lose through their leaves, or needles. This is one reason you may have a brown cast on the edge of your evergreen needles.

On perennial shrubs, such as roses or lilacs, damage to terminal growing points can occur.

There are several things to keep in mind about your landscape if you live in these windy areas.

1. Fall and winter watering is not an option. Failure to water your plants is the most common cause of plant stress I see in landscapes. And just because your landscape is mature, does not mean you can stop watering it. You don’t stop drinking water just because you've matured, do you?

2. Mulch can help retain moisture in the soil. Yes, I know, it’s windy and the wind blows your mulch all the way to Kansas. Well, I am sure the people of Kansas appreciate your contribution to their fine state. Really though, mulching can make a big difference in how much water your soils will hold.

3. Add organic matter to your soil. Incorporating 2-3 inches of plant based organic matter at a depth of 4-6 inches will help hold in water if you have sandy soil, or help water drain if you have clayey soil. Either way, adding organic matter such as composted plant material will benefit your plants. Just be careful if you use animal manure as compost as these contain salts and heavy metals that build up in the soil over time, and can increase the risk of food borne pathogens if used improperly in vegetable gardens.

For more information on fall or winter watering, visit your county Extension office.