A Garden Full of Visitors

Through Gardens of Yve, I hope to share what I have observed over my years of gardening and what I continue to learn from the plants and wildlife in my garden. Butterflies have long been part of my gardening life, bringing familiar visitors and occasional surprises. Watching them closely continues to teach me about their behavior, the plants they visit, and the ways they use the garden.

Some species appear regularly, nectaring on flowers, resting among foliage, basking in the sunlight, or engaging in a behavior known as puddling, in which butterflies gather moisture and dissolved minerals from damp soil, gravel, and other surfaces. Others appear less frequently, making their visits especially memorable.

I have observed many kinds of butterflies, along with bees, visiting my Joe-Pye weeds daily and in abundance throughout their bloom time. I have noticed the same steady activity around my Benary’s Giant zinnias, which I grow from seed. On my deck, I keep plants in planters for flexibility and ease of observation, enjoying the opportunity to sit quietly nearby and watch their visitors.

My garden also includes butterfly bushes, phlox, coneflowers, asters, and ironweed, along with a variety of goldenrod and milkweed species. Nectar plants provide food for adult butterflies, while host plants provide food for their caterpillars. Milkweeds serve both roles, offering nectar to adult butterflies and leaves for monarch caterpillars.

I also plant annual flowers to bridge gaps between flowering periods as the seasons change. By overlapping bloom times, I aim to keep nectar sources available for butterflies and other pollinators throughout the growing season.

The photographs shared here capture individual moments from these encounters, when I have had my camera at hand. Each photograph is labeled with the month it was taken. These labels do not necessarily indicate when the butterfly was first observed or how frequently it visits.

By sharing these photographs alongside observations and information about butterflies and plants, I hope to help others recognize the visitors in their own gardens, understand what they are seeing, and learn how a garden can support butterflies throughout their life cycles.