The Greater Greenville Master Gardeners
maintain the butterfly garden at
Roper Mountain Science Center.
Visit the Butterfly Garden during Public Events. . During events Master Gardeners are in the garden to answer your garden questions. There may be entrance fee. RMSC Second Saturday link
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What is a Butterfly Garden?
A butterfly garden is simply a garden, with plant material that attracts butterflies. The general needs of butterflies are host plants and nectar plants. Host plants are the plants eaten by the caterpillar or larvae of the butterfly. Each species of butterfly has a specific plant that the adult butterfly lays her eggs on and which the caterpillar will eat. Nectar plants are the food of the adult butterfly. They use a proboscis to sip nectar from the flowers of the plant. A butterfly garden also needs protection from the wind. Many butterflies like a damp spot or mud hole for puddling. Finally, butterflies like sunny areas and some rocks to rest on and soak up the sun. In 2002, the Roper Mountain Butterfly Garden was certified as a National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat. This certification means that wildlife is provided food, shelter, water and a place to raise the young on these grounds. |
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Nectar plants include these butterfly “magnets”:
‘Miss Huff’ Lantana Butterfly Bush or Buddleia davidii Verbena bonariensis Phlox Purple Coneflower or Echinacea purpurea Butterfly weed or Asclepias tuberosa Aster Zinnia Host plants are the most important plants in the garden. Below is a list of common butterflies in our area and their host plants - Butterfly Species: Host Plants: American lady Anaphalis, cudweed, Antennaria Black Swallowtail fennel, parsley, rue, dill, Queen Anne's Lace Buckeye Snapdragon, plantain, Linaria, Verbena Cabbage white cabbage, Cleome, Nasturtium, mustard, Lunaria Cloudless sulphur Senna, Cassia, clover Eastern Tailed Blue legume family, clover, alfalfa Falcate orange tip mustard family, Winter Cress Giant swallowtail prickly ash, rue, citrus, hop trees Gray hairstreak mallow, hollyhock, legumes, Rabbit's Foot Clover Great purple hairstreak mistletoe Great spangled fritillary violet Gulf fritillary passion-vine Long-tailed skipper legumes (pole bean, garden bean), wisteria Monarch Asclepias species (milkweed) Mourning cloak willow, poplar, elm, nettle Painted lady thistle, hollyhock, Plantain Pearl crescent aster Pipevine swallowtail Aristolochia (pipevine),Virginia Snakeroot Question Mark hops, hackberry, nettle, elm Red Admiral nettle Red-spotted purple willow, poplar, cherry, plum, apple, aspen Silver-spotted skipper locust, American wisteria Sleepy Orange Cassia, senna, clover Spicebush swallowtail Lindera benzoin (spicebush), sassafras Spring azure dogwood blossoms, Viburnum, blueberry Tiger Swallowtail wild cherry, poplar, willow, birch Variegated fritillary passion-vine, violet Zebra swallowtail Asimina (pawpaw) |
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To see pictures and learn more about butterflies in our area, click on “Butterflies of North America” located at http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/
This site allows you to click on your state, and tells you what butterflies are there, and even narrows it down to the butterflies in your county.
We are very proud of our butterfly garden at Roper Mountain Science Center. Not only do we have beautiful flowers, but we have beautiful “flying flowers”.
This site allows you to click on your state, and tells you what butterflies are there, and even narrows it down to the butterflies in your county.
We are very proud of our butterfly garden at Roper Mountain Science Center. Not only do we have beautiful flowers, but we have beautiful “flying flowers”.
