Enjoy Backyard Wildlife with a Butterfly, Moth and Hummingbird Garden
Your backyard flower garden can become a lively butterfly, moth, and hummingbird garden if you choose the right flowers. Here are some top choices for a beautiful flower bed that will be irresistible to these wild creatures.
For butterflies:
- Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
- Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
- Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Narrow-leaved coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)
- Rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)
- Meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis)
- Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
For Ruby-throated hummingbirds:
- Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Notes:
- The milkweeds and blazing stars may be available only from nurseries that specialize in native prairie plants.
- For further details, see the book Landscaping for Wildlife, published by the Nongame Wildlife Program, Minnesota DNR.
- Butterfly, bee & moth garden designs.
- Information about pollinator management and restoration: Pollinator Resources