Maybe they are next door? Maybe they visit when you are gone? I know I don't get to spend nearly enough time just sitting still in my garden to allow delicate creatures to visit. I'm always dragging hoses and spraying. Or, I'm so intent on weeding that I wouldn't notice visitors if I had them. I'd try to be patient, if I were you. At least until your flowers are in bloom.

Martha

It's the long cold wet spring, there will be more butterflies in July. I've seen this happen too often lately.

It can also depend on your fall and spring clean-up--if you absolutely take down your garden and rake everything out, you might be destroying overwintering larvae/pupae.

It could be what's surrounding you and your neighbors plants and gardening practices. It could be parasitic wasps, or birds feeding caterpillars to their young.

Or it is also just the timing of everything too and the weather too.

I also always feel like I should see more butterflies too.

Thanks for the feedback. I only tear down the veggie gardens in the fall. I'm hoping it's this long, wet, cool spring and that there will be more later! I planted so many butterfly plants!

I'm pretty sure its the long cold winter. I saw a ZST today. It was nectaring on a single blooming native rose. Let's hope by July our yards are buzzing with butterflies. Butterflies like the hot weather.

I have to agree with the fall-cleanup comment. Last fall our mower died before we could mulch our monstrous piles of oak leaves. This spring was too busy, wet and windy, so the piles are still there. But, I've noticed a huge increase in the number of birds and toads hanging around. A few times we've seen birds literally wading through the leaves tossing them around in search of snacks. I bet there are tons of moths and other bugs that make their homes in the leaf litter. We've decided to leave the oak leaves piled in our huge dog run, since it cuts down on muddy dogs and encourages the birds and bugs as well.

Martha