How much sun does a butterfly plant need?
Butterfly bushes are full sun plants. That means they should get at least six hours of bright sun each day. It doesn’t need to come all at once – it can be in chunks throughout the day. In very hot climates, a bit of afternoon shade is permissible. In the wild, most butterflies live about 7 to 10 days, if not eaten first. In captivity, butterflies can survive for 2 to 3 weeks. Some species of butterflies modify their nectar diet to include rotten fruit, pollen and animal excrement, and can live as long as 3 to 6 months, or even longer.Butterfly bush roots do not like to sit in wet soil, especially during cooler evenings. The plants can handle short periods of drought once they are mature. After the shrub is established, water most varieties at least weekly when temperatures soar above 85 degrees. Again, the key is deep watering.The longest lived adult butterflies live for nine months to a year, but the average lifespan for the majority of species is just two to four weeks. Multiple factors can affect a species’ average lifespan.The average life expectancy of a butterfly bush is 10-20 years. Consequently, once older bushes begin producing fewer flowers, it is time to consider replacing them.
Do butterflies need direct sunlight?
Full Sun. Most plants that are attractive to butterflies need full sun and butterflies also need sun to warm their bodies for flight, so site your butterfly garden accordingly. Make sure it is also sheltered from harsh winds and is in a place where you will be able to easily watch the butterflies. Your Butterfly Plant thrives in warm temperatures of 65°F-85°F, especially if they don’t fluctuate. Therefore, you’ll need to keep plant away from drafty windows or doors and vents. Fertilize once a month during the growing season (spring and summer) with a balanced liquid fertilizer after watering.What Temperature is Too Hot for Butterflies? At temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), butterflies will have a tougher time feeding as they seek shade or cooler microhabitats to avoid overheating.The butterfly can be released as soon as it is able to fly, or it can stay indoors for about 24 hours (especially if it is rainy outside), and then it will need to be released to find some butterfly food (nectar).To feed your butterfly, prepare a solution of sugar water (one tablespoon of sugar per six ounces of water). Be sure to use pure, unchlorinated water if possible. Butterflies taste with their feet, so you’ll want to saturate a paper towel or napkin and place it in their habitat.
Can butterflies be kept indoors?
For best results, keep a room temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit for your growing insects. If the indoor temperatures are excessively hot or extremely cold, your butterflies will become lethargic and it will impede their development. Plants, especially flowering plants, need sun to make food for themselves and nectar for butterflies. Butterflies also need sun to warm their bodies for flight. Butterflies are attracted to flowers with strong scents and bright colors where they drink sweet, energy-rich nectar.Butterflies will readily bask in the sun when it is warm out, but few are seen on cloudy days. It is a good idea to leave open areas in a yard for butterflies to sun themselves, as well as partly shady areas like trees or shrubs, so they can hide when it’s cloudy or cool off if it is very hot.Butterfly bushes can do well in any garden or landscape that receives adequate amounts of sun (6 hours or more) and has well draining soil. Their graceful arching habit is appealing as a background in informal gardens, and smaller varieties may be grown closer to the front border as accents or in groupings.Avoid direct exposure to sunlight because it will scorch the leaves. Placing a grow light close by (not directly over) your butterfly plant provides enough illumination if the room gets little sunlight. The butterfly plant loves to stay moist. Water when 50% of the soil volume is dry.
Do butterfly bushes like pots or ground?
Butterfly bush grows best in well-draining soils, whether it is in a garden bed or container! Ensure your pots have large drainage holes in the bottom. Avoid using gravel, rocks, or sand at the bottom of the pot to improve drainage; it’s a myth! All you need is lightweight commercial potting soil. When Butterfly bushes sit in wet soil, it can cause root rot. Butterfly bushes will tell you when they need to be watered. One sign is wilted leaves or wilted flowers (this is different from sun damaged or dead flowers).Butterfly bush often suffers from yellowing leaves and bud drop due to overwatering or poor drainage. Overwatering butterfly bushes in pots causes root oxygen deprivation, leading to yellow leaves and bud drop. Check soil moisture by feeling the top 2 inches; if soggy, reduce watering frequency.
Do butterfly bushes need to be cut back in the fall?
When should I prune butterfly bush? The best time to prune butterfly bush is in the spring, after the final frost but before new season growth emerges. Doing so removes any dead stems and shapes the shrub while encouraging vigorous growth for the season ahead. We recommend applying a granular rose or garden fertilizer in early spring, then again in late spring and early summer. Never fertilize a butterfly bush past late July, as doing so can interfere with dormancy. The best time to prune butterfly bushes is in spring, once the new growth begins to emerge on the stems.Lots of people cut them to the ground in early spring (usually March). Doing this, called stooling, helps keep the size of the plant under control and does not affect blooming. But if you don’t want to go to those lengths, you can cut on a butterfly bush pretty much anytime you want to and to whatever size you’d like.
Where is the best place to put a butterfly garden?
Butterflies thrive in warm, sunny, and sheltered areas where they can bask and rest. Choose a spot in your garden that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight daily, preferably protected from strong winds. A sunny location not only attracts butterflies but also helps their wings warm up for flight. Butterflies like warmth so choose sunny, sheltered spots when planting nectar plants. Choose different plants to attract a wider variety of species. Place the same types of plant together in blocks. Try to provide flowers right through the butterfly season.At night or during bad weather, butterflies will usually seek shelter by hanging from the undersides of leaves, or crawl into crevices in the bark of trees, between rocks or other objects, and sleep.Make sure that your butterfly house contains a piece of bark or a branch for them to land on once they fly inside it, and make a sugar solution to attract them. From the insect family ‘Lepidptera’, there are nearly 60 butterfly species resident in the UK, along with a few regular visitors flying in from Europe.The meaning of a butterfly in your home is to let go and live in the moment. It is an encouragement to live your life in the freedom of yourself and what you think your purpose is.