Attracting Birds & Butterflies

The needs of birds and butterflies are similar to our own basic needs. • Food •
Water • Cover and a place to raise there young

Food: Birds like a wide variety of food so if you provide them with seeds, berries,
and other healthy treats you will attract more birds to your yard and they are
more likely to stay.
Seeds -Birds like seeds from perennial and annual flowers, as well as from
ornamental grasses and vines
Berries –Trees and shrubs provide large quantities of berries at different times of
the year
Insects – Insects from dead tree stumps and brush piles are another good source
of food
Nectar – Butterflies like clusters of small flowers and daisy type flowers. They also
need plants for their larva to feed on. Fennel, parsley, lovage, and butterfly weed
are some of the larva host plants.
Hummingbirds like bright colored trumpet shaped flowers
Feeders – Feeders are a good way to bring wildlife closer to seating areas and
windows.
A good basic seed mix is •black oil sunflower •millet, • safflower. This mix will
attract a wide variety of birds. Suet mixes are a healthy winter treat but will spoil
over 70 degrees. Oranges, bananas, raisins, apples, and tangerines are a great
summer treat
Hummingbird feeders are very effective and come in many different styles. Make
sure to clean your feeder with scalding hot water every 3 days. Hummingbirds are
very territorial and will fight over their food so make sure to place feeders and
flowering plants in different locations in the yard.

Water: Adding water to your landscape will increase the frequency that birds and
butterflies visit and nest in your yard (can be a simple birdbath or a pond with a
waterfall)
• Birds are wary of water that is more than 2 “– 3 “ deep
• Keep the water source out in the open (15’ away from trees and shrubs) so they
can see their predators.
• Never use cleaning chemicals in and around your water feature
•Butterflies prefer moist, soggy soil or sand as a water source • hummingbirds
like a fine mist
Cover: Birds and butterflies need cover and protection from the elements and
from their predators.
• Mixing evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs provide cover as well as food
throughout the year.
• Plants with thorns provide extra protection from predators
• Large perennials, grasses, and vines provide cover as well as food.
• Stumps, hollow logs, and brush piles are other good ways to provide cover.
• Perennials, grasses, and vines also provide nesting materials for birds.
Hummingbirds use grasses, pussy willow and thistle down, moss, and milkweed
all held together by spider webs.

• Different species of birds have different requirements for birdhouses. From the
size of the entry hole to how high it’s hung. Keep in mind their environmental
needs outside the birdhouse as well (some birds like an open area, some like it
wooded. Different birds also like the entry facing specific directions.
(for more information on this subject try www.birds.cornell.edu)

Plants That Attract Birds, Butterflies, and Hummingbirds

Trees

● Desert Willow & Chitalpa ● Eastern Wahoo ● Choke Cherry ● Buckthorn,

Carolina & Fernleaf ● Soap Berry ● Chase Tree ● Holly

Shrubs

● Abelia ● Chokeberry ● Beautyberry, dwarf and native ●Summer Sweet Clethra

● Autumn Olive
● Possum Haw Holly ● Virginia Sweet Spire Henries Garnett or Little Henry
● Northern Bayberry ● Nandina ● Sumac ● Elderberry ●Viburnum ● Wiegela ●
Yuca red ● Butterfly Bush
Perennials

● Yarrow Anthea ● Agastache ● Anemone ● Butterfly weed ● Threadleaf Bluestar

●Blackberry Lilly
● Foxglove Spanish Peaks ● Echinacea ● Joe Pye Weed ● Indian Blanket Flower,
Gailardia
● Heliotrope hardy ● Red Hot Poker ● Liatris ● Bee Balm Petite Delight ● Beard
Tongue (Penstemon) Husker Red & Red Rocks ●Russian Sage regular & Little
Spire ● Fleece Flower (Persicaria) Lance Corporal ● Phlox David ● Black Eyed
Susan, maxima & Viettes Little Susy ● Autumn Sage ● Soapwort, Rosa Plena & Max
Frye ● Live Forever (Sedum) Autumn Joy & Matrona ● Cup Plant ● Goldenrod;
Bluestem, Ohio, & Golden Baby ● Stokes Aster ● Iron Weed

Annuals

● Asclepia annual ● Cypress Vine ● Gaillardia Red Plume ● Geranium ●

Gomphrena ● Hibiscus tropical ● Zinnia Mexican ● Lantana New Gold ● Plumbago
annual ● Tithonia Fiesta del Sol ● Wishbone Flower

Grasses

● Pampas Grass ● Maiden Grass ● Fountain Grass ● Mexican Feather Grass ●

Millet ● Northern Sea Oats ● Blue Stem and other natives

Herbs

● Parsley ● Fennell ● Lovage ● Dill ● Anise ● Rue