BACKYARD CHAT
Ask the Experts
Pros talk about all things butterfly, from feeders to milkweed.
MELISSA LEE
Q Are there any container
annuals that butterflies will visit?
Donna Devillez BROOKLYN, CONNECTICUTMelinda: You’ll be amazed by how many butterflies
you can attract with a flower-filled planter. Pentas are
a butterfly magnet and are often found in butterfly
houses. If you’re looking for something heat and drought
tolerant, lantana is another favorite. Include some flat
daisylike blossoms of single zinnias, cosmos and dahlias.
Add fragrant heliotrope for both your benefit and the
butterflies’. Grow cool-weather tolerant annuals, such
as pansies and sweet alyssum, to provide nectar early
or late in the season.Malachite
butterfly
on tropical
milkweedSPECIAL
Butterfly
Edition