Published in Pacific Horticulture

In Where are the Butterflies? Creating a Safe Haven for Urban Lepidoptera Woodland Park Zoo AIP student Tracey Byrne outlines eight essential elements for attracting butterflies and other beneficial insects. The process for creating community and backyard gardens is “not as easy as ‘Plant it, and They Will Come,'” says Bryne. The key is to ensure plants are available throughout a butterfly’s lifecycle (egg, caterpillar, pupa and butterfly) and that “pruning, weeding, and tidying are done lightly, seasonally, and with extreme care.”