Happy butterflying to you as well kr! I probably won't post many pics of my yard just because there is SO much out there that it would get to be tedious viewing very quickly! I have posted a funny shot of the front of my house so that you can see that "butterfly crazy" me has her front flower bed full of a weed for the butterflies! It is Sicklepod Senna for the Cloudless Sulphurs and Sleepy Oranges. Just across the sidewalk, there is another bed of it about 2/3 the size. I laugh when people comment on my pretty plants!!! :o) Maybe it would be fun to know what host plants everyone has growing and also what their most frequently visited nectar plants are.

I never find garden photos tedious. Lol. And your neighbors are right about how pretty your, um, flowers are.

Hydrangea

I haven't figured out how to post more than one picture at a time, so, the next few posts are mine. I live just inside the city limits of Grand Rapids Michigan, but I have nearly 2 acres that back up to 20 or 30 acres of no man's land along the interstate. My property is heavily wooded, so I have established my butterfly garden along the road. This faces directly south, but still only gets truly full sun right near the road. No man's land is swampy and even has quicksand, as well as a robust colony of invasive garlic mustard. I've been here less than two years, but it's coming along. I'll post pictures of the butterfly area, since that is what this forum is all about.

In the previous picture there are liatris, two different species, Black-Eyed Susan's, Daisy, zinnia in back, Grampa Ott's Morning Glory starting on the wrought iron, snapdragons, Rose Campion, and a hint of orange from an early butterfly weed bloom (A. Tuberosa). The mulch that you see is a thick layer of finely shredded oak leaves. These are spread over a layer of aged horse manure that we hauled in last summer. It was a variation on Lasagna gardening and the goal is to improve the moisture-holding capacity of what is primarily sand underneath. We've finally had some hot, dry weather this weekend, and some of the newly transplanted plants were wilting. Fortunately, I had time to hand water, and they are perking up again. The next picture is from the other side of the driveway where I have milkweed and lots of zinnias.

Here are some zinnias.

Here is a shot of my little pollinator garden I established last fall. It's hard to see in the picture, but the big plant on the right is agastache and there is balloonflower further back. The Helenium won't bloom until fall. I started gardening with native plants a year ago, and only became interested in butterflies recently. I am now busy planting more plants for some of the showy butterflies, including parsley, dill, fennel, Goldenrod, Joe Pyeweed, and milkweed. I encourage a lot of plants other folks try to get rid of, such as clover and violets. I also have a lot of trees such as Birch, hackberry, Oak, Black Locust and cherry. I do a lot of planting for the birds, too. I have Chokeberry, raspberry, elderberry, and a variety of other things. I am looking forward to planting spicebush, among other things, this coming fall. I also am planning on Wintersowing various native perennials For the butterflies next year. I am thinking of mountain mint and Pearly everlasting. As usual, my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak!

Here's another view of my backyard last spring. I have an acre total, about a quarter of it fenced in in back. That's the only area I really can use for gardening, since the dog keeps most of the deer out. Those are violets underplanting the azalea.

Love everyone's photos, and I just want to say thank you for planting for the wildlife. So much can be done if everyone would just do a little bit. :o)

I took these pics a week ago and am just now getting around to posting them..

Here is the left side of the garden. On the left side of the garden in the back are two viburnum bushes with tons of false nettle plants beneath them, but you can't see them on this pic. Left side of garden is coneflowers, front is snapdragons; next section is blanket flowers (although the bumble bees are the only things that go to those); next behind those is butterfly weed; next is two sections of tropical milkweed.
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Here is the right side of the garden, which is purple coneflowers. On the far right side of the picture you will see a tall vine, which is my pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla) "tower".
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Gas Plant & Rue Area; False Nettles & Hibiscus are in the background:
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Upper Garden. This was a work in progress but have had to drastically downsize it. Included here are Lupinus perennis, Black-eyed Susans, Purple Coneflowers, Baptisia australis, and New England Asters. This area has gotten very weedy, and I hope the good plants can compete. On the far right side in the background you can see some of my 11 paw paw trees that I planted 3 years ago. There were 12 but one died. These trees grow really slowly for me. I haven't seen a Zebra Swallowtail here yet but maybe someday.
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Pussytoes & Pearly Everlasting. Don't mind the weeds. :)
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Here's the New Jersey Tea bushes with American Beauty Berry bushes in the background on the right side. I did have two NJ Tea rows before I downsized.
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Not pictured but also planted outside are birch, willow, hackberry, black cherry, tulip poplar, sassafras, and wafer ash trees. Also outside are Lindera benzoin & Lespedeza capitata, I also have various plants in big pots: Amorpha fruticosa, Cimicifuga racemosa, and Cassia hebecarpa.

I don't intend on planting any more for the butterflies. I started butterfly gardening in 2005 and added more plants almost every year since. The butterflies are extremely scarce this year, but last year was very good.

This post was edited by caterwallin on Mon, Jul 22, 13 at 0:41

Caterwallin, You have done wonderful things with such a great space. I'm sure the butterflies and moths really appreciate your hard work. Your yard is gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing your pictures!
Kim-from PA as well

Beautiful shots Cathy! You have done such a wonderful thing for the wildlife there in your yard. Thank you for that.
Angie

Fabulous garden, Cathy. What a wonderful job incorporating a real variety of butterfly plants. And I'm sure they don't mind few weeds!
Liz

Caterwallin,
Your beds are so neat and organized. And your coneflowers look so happy. It makes me tempted to cut down some trees to let a bit more sun shine onto my yard.

Martha

Martha, don't do that! Just think of the brds!. I will never forget the redheaded woodpecker I saw for the first and only time, birding in the upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Cheers,
Liz

Thank you for all of your very nice comments! Here are pictures of my Lupinus perennis and Baptisia australis when they were blooming the end of May.

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I forget to mention two plants that I have that are very successful nectar plants. The Monarchs love the tithonia (mine got planted late so those plants aren't blooming yet) and the Verbena bonariensis. Along with the coneflowers and butterfly bushes, the Verbena bonariensis attracts lots of different kinds of butterflies. Lately a Spicebush Swallowtail has been nectaring on the verbena every day, and I can also find lots of skippers on those plants. I would certainly recommend it for a nectar plant for people's gardens!
Cathy